Population
Joplin
52,218
Rolla
20,144
Median Income
Joplin
$51,154
Rolla
$42,518
Home Value
Joplin
$159,700
Rolla
$177,400
Rent
Joplin
$889
Rolla
$790
Crime Rate
Joplin
5.60
Rolla
3.74
Cost of Living
Joplin
86.0
Rolla
79.1
Avg Temp
Joplin
N/A
Rolla
N/A
Unemployment
Joplin
5.7%
Rolla
5.4%
How Similar Are Joplin & Rolla?
Rolla is Joplin's #15 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Joplin
52,218
Rolla
20,144
Joplin (52,218) is about 2.6x larger than Rolla (20,144).
Violent Crime
Joplin
5.60
Rolla
3.74
Joplin has a 33% higher violent crime than Rolla.
Property Crime
Joplin
41.21
Rolla
25.40
Joplin has a 38% higher property crime than Rolla.
Political Leaning
Joplin
72.7%
Rolla
70.8%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 3% difference.
Unemployment
Joplin
5.7%
Rolla
5.4%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 6% difference.
Median Income
Joplin
$51,154
Rolla
$42,518
Joplin has a 17% higher median income than Rolla.
Home Values
Joplin
$159,700
Rolla
$177,400
Both cities have similar home values — just a 10% difference.
Education
Joplin
17.8%
Rolla
19.1%
Both cities have similar education — just a 7% difference.
Demographics
Joplin
83.8%
Rolla
83.2%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 1% difference.
Cost of Living
Joplin
86.0
Rolla
79.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 8% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Joplin and Rolla share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Joplin
0
Rolla
Rolla leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Rolla leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDRolla scores 65.0 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 78.2 in Joplin. Rolla scores 79.1 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 86.0 in Joplin. Rolla has a living wage (1 adult) of $34,808 vs $37,840 in Joplin (9% lower).
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 — Joplin leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSJoplin has a single-family homes of 74.2% compared to 51.8% in Rolla. Joplin has a owner-occupied of 55.9% compared to 40.8% in Rolla. Rolla has a median rent of $790 vs $889 in Joplin (13% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Joplin leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSJoplin: 26,297 vs Rolla: 8,398 for labor force. Joplin has a work from home of 8.5% compared to 5.4% in Rolla. Joplin has a per capita income of $30,344 vs $23,580 in Rolla (29% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Rolla leads
Source: FBI UCRRolla has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.19 compared to 0.52 in Joplin. Rolla has a property crime clearance of 27.2% compared to 7.8% in Joplin. Rolla has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 20.15 compared to 32.99 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 high school diploma or higher of 39.4% compared to 34.5% in Rolla. Rolla has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.1% compared to 17.8% 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 2.6x the size of Rolla (20,144). Rolla skews younger with a median age of 27.4 vs 37.5.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Joplin
Rolla
Healthcare — Rolla leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareRolla: 2.5 vs Joplin: 1.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Rolla: 5 vs Joplin: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRolla has a bicycle of 1.6% compared to 0.1% in Joplin. Joplin has a work from home of 8.5% compared to 5.4% in Rolla. Rolla has a public transit of 0.3% compared to 0.2% 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.