PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Jackson, TN

47.3
Life Score / 100
C+
Grade (curved)
#231
of 387 metros
40%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Jackson ranks #231 of 387 US metros, ahead of 40% - carried by its cost of living (97/100) and held back most by safety (3/100).

97
strongest: Cost of Living
68
then: Childcare
3
weakest: Safety
7
weighted dimensions

Where Jackson sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

47 40th percentile higher than 40% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). This entry sits in this band. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Jackson Life Score

Jackson's composite score of 47.3 out of 100, a grade of C+, places the metro at rank #231 of 387, ahead of 40% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Cost of Living (97/100) and Childcare (68/100), which pull the composite upward, while Safety (3/100) and Wages (14/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 85.5 (rent-RPP 56.6). BLS median salary $58,189, 78,140 jobs (Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,260/mo (studio $869).

FBI UCR (TN): 602 violent, 2058 property/100K. NCES: 15.3:1 ratio, 6.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,860/yr. EPA: 26 Superfund sites (TN). Ranks #228-#234 below.

Dimension detail

How Jackson scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 97/100 (20%)
Wages 14/100 (20%)
Rent 56/100 (15%)
Safety 3/100 (15%)
Schools 51/100 (10%)
Childcare 68/100 (10%)
Environment 43/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

85.5
Cost Index (RPP)
$58,189
Avg Median Salary
$1,260
2BR Fair Market Rent
602
Violent Crime/100K (TN)
15.3:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,860
Infant Childcare/yr (TN)
26
Superfund Sites (TN)
78,140
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Jackson With...

Jackson vs Kingsport Compare → Jackson vs Morristown Compare → Jackson vs Memphis Compare → Jackson vs Wildwood Compare → Jackson vs Waterloo Compare → Jackson vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Jackson outranks 40% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#228 Memphis, TN-MS-AR 47.4 C+
#229 Columbus, IN 47.4 C+
#230 Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL 47.5 C+
#231 Jackson, TN 47.3 C+
#232 Pueblo, CO 47.3 C+
#233 Tyler, TX 47.2 C+
#234 Yuma, AZ 47.2 C+

TN Metro Scores

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA B 53.9 Morristown, TN B- 49.3 Memphis, TN-MS-AR C+ 47.4 Johnson City, TN C+ 47.1 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN C 42.5 Cleveland, TN C 42.4

Using Jackson's Life Score

Jackson is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is cost of living (97/100) and its weakest is safety (3/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Jackson head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Jackson lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Jackson's biggest strengths? ▼
Jackson's strongest dimensions are Cost of Living (97/100), Childcare (68/100), Rent (56/100). Cost of Living is top-tier nationally.
What are Jackson's weakest areas? ▼
Jackson's lowest-scoring dimensions are Safety (3/100), Wages (14/100), Environment (43/100). Safety weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Jackson compared to the national average? ▼
Jackson's Regional Price Parity is 85.5 (14.5% less than national); rent RPP 56.6.
What is the average salary in Jackson? ▼
Jackson median salary: $58,189, 78,140 jobs. Top: Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Jackson's 47.3/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.