Population

Joplin

52,218

Watertown

24,574

Median Income

Joplin

$51,154

Watertown

$49,692

Home Value

Joplin

$159,700

Watertown

$149,800

Rent

Joplin

$889

Watertown

$933

Crime Rate

Joplin

5.60

Watertown

5.99

Cost of Living

Joplin

86.0

Watertown

88.5

Avg Temp

Joplin

N/A

Watertown

N/A

Unemployment

Joplin

5.7%

Watertown

6.4%

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How Similar Are Joplin & Watertown?

Watertown is Joplin's #2 most similar city

7/10

7 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Joplin

52,218

vs

Watertown

24,574

Different · 53% difference

Joplin (52,218) is about 2.1x larger than Watertown (24,574).

Violent Crime

Joplin

5.60

vs

Watertown

5.99

Match · 6% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 6% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Joplin

41.21

vs

Watertown

39.29

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 5% difference.

Political Leaning

Joplin

72.7%

vs

Watertown

61.8%

Different · 15% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican, but Joplin has a stronger Republican lean (15% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Joplin

5.7%

vs

Watertown

6.4%

Different · 11% difference

Watertown has a 11% higher unemployment than Joplin.

Median Income

Joplin

$51,154

vs

Watertown

$49,692

Match · 3% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Joplin

$159,700

vs

Watertown

$149,800

Match · 6% difference

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

Education

Joplin

17.8%

vs

Watertown

17.9%

Match · 1% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 1% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Joplin

83.8%

vs

Watertown

81.5%

Match · 3% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 3% difference.

Cost of Living

Joplin

86.0

vs

Watertown

88.5

Match · 3% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.

7 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Joplin and Watertown are remarkably similar cities.

At a Glance

0

Joplin

vsof 8

0

Watertown

Cost of Living & Affordability — Joplin leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Joplin has a fair market rent (2br) of $947 vs $1,405 in Watertown (33% lower). Joplin has a fair market rent (1br) of $765 vs $1,071 in Watertown (29% lower). Joplin scores 88.4 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 97.8 in Watertown.

Overall Cost Index

Joplin86.0
Watertown88.5

Housing Index

Joplin88.4
Watertown97.8

Food Index

Joplin89.1
Watertown88.0

Transportation Index

Joplin78.2
Watertown76.0

Healthcare Index

Joplin91.3
Watertown90.4

Utilities Index

Joplin91.1
Watertown92.3

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Joplin$37,840
Watertown$38,929

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Joplin$89,439
Watertown$92,013

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Joplin$765
Watertown$1,071

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Joplin$947
Watertown$1,405

Housing Market — Joplin leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Joplin has a median property tax of $1,144 vs $2,675 in Watertown (57% lower). Joplin has a single-family homes of 74.2% compared to 47.6% in Watertown. Joplin has a owner-occupied of 55.9% compared to 41.6% in Watertown.

Median Home Value

Joplin$159,700
Watertown$149,800

Median Rent

Joplin$889
Watertown$933

Median Property Tax

Joplin$1,144
Watertown$2,675

Owner-Occupied

Joplin55.9%
Watertown41.6%

Vacancy Rate

Joplin11.3%
Watertown13.2%

Single-Family Homes

Joplin74.2%
Watertown47.6%

Jobs & Economy — Joplin leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Joplin: 26,297 vs Watertown: 12,207 for labor force. Joplin has a work from home of 8.5% compared to 4.0% in Watertown. Joplin has a government sector of 45.6% compared to 38.9% in Watertown.

Median Household Income

Joplin$51,154
Watertown$49,692

Per Capita Income

Joplin$30,344
Watertown$32,174

Poverty Rate

Joplin17.9%
Watertown20.8%

Unemployment Rate

Joplin5.7%
Watertown6.4%

Labor Force

Joplin26,297
Watertown12,207

Mean Commute

JoplinN/A
WatertownN/A

Work from Home

Joplin8.5%
Watertown4.0%

Private Sector

Joplin93.5%
Watertown85.3%

Government Sector

Joplin45.6%
Watertown38.9%

Crime & Safety — Watertown leads

Source: FBI UCR

Watertown has a property crime clearance of 16.5% compared to 7.8% in Joplin. Watertown has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.37 compared to 0.52 in Joplin. Watertown has a violent crime clearance of 34.0% compared to 23.7% in Joplin.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Joplin5.60
Watertown5.99

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Joplin41.21
Watertown39.29

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Joplin0.00
Watertown0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Joplin0.52
Watertown0.37

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Joplin4.18
Watertown3.95

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Joplin4.17
Watertown3.87

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Joplin32.99
Watertown34.21

Violent Crime Clearance

Joplin23.7%
Watertown34.0%

Property Crime Clearance

Joplin7.8%
Watertown16.5%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

JoplinN/A
WatertownN/A

Avg Annual High

JoplinN/A
WatertownN/A

Avg Annual Low

JoplinN/A
WatertownN/A

Sunny Days per Year

JoplinN/A
WatertownN/A

Annual Rainfall

JoplinN/A
WatertownN/A

Annual Snowfall

JoplinN/A
WatertownN/A

Avg Humidity

JoplinN/A
WatertownN/A

Schools & Education — Watertown leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Watertown has a high school diploma or higher of 41.4% compared to 39.4% in Joplin.

Public Schools

Joplin0
Watertown0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

JoplinN/A
WatertownN/A

Colleges & Universities

Joplin0
Watertown0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Joplin17.8%
Watertown17.9%

High School Diploma or Higher

Joplin39.4%
Watertown41.4%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Joplin has a population of 52,218, about 2.1x the size of Watertown (24,574). Watertown skews younger with a median age of 35.6 vs 37.5.

Population

Joplin52,218
Watertown24,574

Median Age

Joplin38
Watertown36

Avg Household Size

Joplin2.3
Watertown2.1

Married Population

Joplin35.6%
Watertown33.0%

Foreign Born

Joplin4.0%
Watertown4.3%

White

Joplin83.8%
Watertown81.5%

Black

Joplin2.9%
Watertown5.7%

Hispanic

Joplin6.4%
Watertown6.8%

Asian

Joplin2.1%
Watertown1.9%

Joplin

Watertown

Healthcare — Watertown leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Watertown: 3.0 vs Joplin: 1.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Watertown: 5 vs Joplin: 4 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

Joplin5
Watertown5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Joplin1.5
Watertown3.0

With Emergency Services

Joplin4
Watertown5

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Joplin has a work from home of 8.5% compared to 4.0% in Watertown. Watertown has a public transit of 1.9% compared to 0.2% in Joplin. Watertown has a bicycle of 0.5% compared to 0.1% in Joplin.

Mean Commute Time

JoplinN/A
WatertownN/A

Drive Alone

Joplin78.4%
Watertown77.8%

Public Transit

Joplin0.2%
Watertown1.9%

Bicycle

Joplin0.1%
Watertown0.5%

Work from Home

Joplin8.5%
Watertown4.0%

Airports

Joplin0
Watertown0

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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