Population
Joplin
52,218
Athens
14,250
Median Income
Joplin
$51,154
Athens
$53,151
Home Value
Joplin
$159,700
Athens
$197,300
Rent
Joplin
$889
Athens
$807
Crime Rate
Joplin
5.60
Athens
6.22
Cost of Living
Joplin
86.0
Athens
89.0
Avg Temp
Joplin
N/A
Athens
N/A
Unemployment
Joplin
5.7%
Athens
5.5%
How Similar Are Joplin & Athens?
Athens is Joplin's #10 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Joplin
52,218
Athens
14,250
Joplin (52,218) is about 3.7x larger than Athens (14,250).
Violent Crime
Joplin
5.60
Athens
6.22
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 10% difference.
Property Crime
Joplin
41.21
Athens
36.66
Joplin has a 11% higher property crime than Athens.
Political Leaning
Joplin
72.7%
Athens
81.7%
Both cities lean Republican, but Athens has a stronger Republican lean (11% difference).
Unemployment
Joplin
5.7%
Athens
5.5%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 4% difference.
Median Income
Joplin
$51,154
Athens
$53,151
Both cities have similar median income — just a 4% difference.
Home Values
Joplin
$159,700
Athens
$197,300
Athens has a 19% higher home values than Joplin.
Education
Joplin
17.8%
Athens
15.9%
Joplin has a 11% higher education than Athens.
Demographics
Joplin
83.8%
Athens
84.7%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 1% difference.
Cost of Living
Joplin
86.0
Athens
89.0
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Joplin and Athens share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Joplin
0
Athens
Athens leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Joplin leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDJoplin scores 78.2 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 90.6 in Athens. Joplin has a fair market rent (1br) of $765 vs $845 in Athens (9% lower). Joplin has a living wage (family of 4) of $89,439 vs $92,590 in Athens.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Athens leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAthens has a median home value of $197,300 vs $159,700 in Joplin (19% higher). Athens has a vacancy rate of 9.7% compared to 11.3% in Joplin. Athens has a median rent of $807 vs $889 in Joplin (10% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Athens leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSJoplin: 26,297 vs Athens: 6,980 for labor force. Joplin has a work from home of 8.5% compared to 4.1% in Athens. Athens has a unemployment rate of 5.5% compared to 5.7% in Joplin.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Athens leads
Source: FBI UCRJoplin has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.07 in Athens. Athens has a property crime clearance of 31.2% compared to 7.8% in Joplin. Athens has a violent crime clearance of 63.4% compared to 23.7% in Joplin.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauJoplin has a bachelor's degree or higher of 17.8% compared to 15.9% in Athens. Athens has a high school diploma or higher of 40.7% compared to 39.4% in Joplin.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSJoplin has a population of 52,218, about 3.7x the size of Athens (14,250). Joplin skews younger with a median age of 37.5 vs 40.8.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Joplin
Athens
Healthcare — Athens leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAthens: 3.2 vs Joplin: 1.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Athens: 5 vs Joplin: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Joplin leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSJoplin has a work from home of 8.5% compared to 4.1% in Athens. Athens has a drive alone of 84.5% compared to 78.4% in Joplin.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Joplin, MO
Compare Joplin 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.