Population

Jackson

31,206

Meridian

34,466

Median Income

Jackson

$42,848

Meridian

$34,657

Home Value

Jackson

$94,700

Meridian

$100,800

Rent

Jackson

$874

Meridian

$865

Crime Rate

Jackson

10.75

Meridian

4.94

Cost of Living

Jackson

77.3

Meridian

73.5

Avg Temp

Jackson

N/A

Meridian

N/A

Unemployment

Jackson

10.8%

Meridian

7.2%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Jackson & Meridian?

Meridian is Jackson's #19 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Jackson

31,206

vs

Meridian

34,466

Match · 9% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Jackson at 31,206 and Meridian at 34,466.

Violent Crime

Jackson

10.75

vs

Meridian

4.94

Different · 54% difference
🚨

Jackson's violent crime is significantly higher than Meridian's — 54% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Jackson

37.36

vs

Meridian

40.00

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 7% difference.

Political Leaning

Jackson

59.9%

vs

Meridian

60.2%

Match · 0% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 0% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Jackson

10.8%

vs

Meridian

7.2%

Different · 33% difference

Jackson has a 33% higher unemployment than Meridian.

Median Income

Jackson

$42,848

vs

Meridian

$34,657

Different · 19% difference
💰

Jackson has a 19% higher median income than Meridian.

Home Values

🏠

Jackson

$94,700

vs

Meridian

$100,800

Match · 6% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 6% difference.

Education

Jackson

10.0%

vs

Meridian

14.0%

Different · 29% difference
🎓

Meridian has a 29% higher education than Jackson.

Demographics

🌍

Jackson

65.7%

vs

Meridian

30.4%

Different · 54% difference

Jackson's demographics is significantly higher than Meridian's — 54% difference.

Cost of Living

Jackson

77.3

vs

Meridian

73.5

Match · 5% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Jackson and Meridian share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Jackson

vsof 8

0

Meridian

Jackson leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Meridian leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Meridian has a fair market rent (2br) of $906 vs $1,165 in Jackson (29% lower). Meridian has a fair market rent (1br) of $812 vs $946 in Jackson (17% lower). Meridian scores 76.5 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 82.7 in Jackson.

Overall Cost Index

Jackson77.3
Meridian73.5

Housing Index

Jackson79.1
Meridian78.2

Food Index

Jackson82.7
Meridian76.5

Transportation Index

Jackson67.8
Meridian69.8

Healthcare Index

Jackson86.2
Meridian81.2

Utilities Index

Jackson85.5
Meridian81.5

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Jackson$34,004
Meridian$32,355

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Jackson$80,372
Meridian$76,474

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Jackson$946
Meridian$812

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Jackson$1,165
Meridian$906

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Jackson has a vacancy rate of 11.4% compared to 16.2% in Meridian. Meridian has a median property tax of $1,336 vs $1,597 in Jackson (20% lower). Jackson has a owner-occupied of 53.9% compared to 47.6% in Meridian.

Median Home Value

Jackson$94,700
Meridian$100,800

Median Rent

Jackson$874
Meridian$865

Median Property Tax

Jackson$1,597
Meridian$1,336

Owner-Occupied

Jackson53.9%
Meridian47.6%

Vacancy Rate

Jackson11.4%
Meridian16.2%

Single-Family Homes

Jackson68.2%
Meridian62.0%

Jobs & Economy — Jackson leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Jackson has a work from home of 6.9% compared to 4.1% in Meridian. Meridian has a unemployment rate of 7.2% compared to 10.8% in Jackson. Jackson has a median household income of $42,848 vs $34,657 in Meridian (24% higher).

Median Household Income

Jackson$42,848
Meridian$34,657

Per Capita Income

Jackson$23,984
Meridian$25,531

Poverty Rate

Jackson25.5%
Meridian31.9%

Unemployment Rate

Jackson10.8%
Meridian7.2%

Labor Force

Jackson14,804
Meridian15,092

Mean Commute

Jackson15 min
Meridian18 min

Work from Home

Jackson6.9%
Meridian4.1%

Private Sector

Jackson85.9%
Meridian79.0%

Government Sector

Jackson41.4%
Meridian35.5%

Crime & Safety — Jackson leads

Source: FBI UCR

Meridian has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.14 compared to 8.24 in Jackson. Jackson has a property crime clearance of 5.0% compared to 2.0% in Meridian. Jackson has a violent crime clearance of 24.5% compared to 11.0% in Meridian.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Jackson10.75
Meridian4.94

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Jackson37.36
Meridian40.00

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Jackson0.10
Meridian0.38

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Jackson0.68
Meridian1.95

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Jackson8.24
Meridian2.14

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Jackson4.92
Meridian11.96

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Jackson29.02
Meridian24.51

Violent Crime Clearance

Jackson24.5%
Meridian11.0%

Property Crime Clearance

Jackson5.0%
Meridian2.0%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

JacksonN/A
MeridianN/A

Avg Annual High

JacksonN/A
MeridianN/A

Avg Annual Low

JacksonN/A
MeridianN/A

Sunny Days per Year

JacksonN/A
MeridianN/A

Annual Rainfall

JacksonN/A
MeridianN/A

Annual Snowfall

JacksonN/A
MeridianN/A

Avg Humidity

JacksonN/A
MeridianN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Meridian has a bachelor's degree or higher of 14.0% compared to 10.0% in Jackson. Jackson has a high school diploma or higher of 35.4% compared to 33.6% in Meridian.

Public Schools

Jackson0
Meridian0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

JacksonN/A
MeridianN/A

Colleges & Universities

Jackson0
Meridian0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Jackson10.0%
Meridian14.0%

High School Diploma or Higher

Jackson35.4%
Meridian33.6%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Meridian has a population of 34,466, about 1.1x the size of Jackson (31,206). Jackson skews younger with a median age of 34.9 vs 39.4.

Population

Jackson31,206
Meridian34,466

Median Age

Jackson35
Meridian39

Avg Household Size

Jackson2.3
Meridian2.2

Married Population

Jackson27.2%
Meridian29.1%

Foreign Born

Jackson2.0%
Meridian2.1%

White

Jackson65.7%
Meridian30.4%

Black

Jackson21.0%
Meridian62.5%

Hispanic

Jackson6.3%
Meridian2.0%

Asian

Jackson0.5%
Meridian1.1%

Jackson

Meridian

Healthcare — Jackson leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Jackson: 5 vs Meridian: 4 for with emergency services. Jackson: 3.0 vs Meridian: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Jackson5
Meridian5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Jackson3.0
Meridian2.5

With Emergency Services

Jackson5
Meridian4

Transportation & Commute — Jackson leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Jackson has a work from home of 6.9% compared to 4.1% in Meridian. Jackson: 15 min vs Meridian: 18 min for mean commute time. Meridian has a drive alone of 80.5% compared to 76.5% in Jackson.

Mean Commute Time

Jackson15 min
Meridian18 min

Drive Alone

Jackson76.5%
Meridian80.5%

Public Transit

Jackson1.4%
Meridian0.0%

Bicycle

Jackson0.5%
Meridian0.0%

Work from Home

Jackson6.9%
Meridian4.1%

Airports

Jackson0
Meridian0

Cities Similar to Jackson, MI

Compare Jackson against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

Explore These Cities

Compare Different Cities