Population
Joplin
52,218
Waterville
16,704
Median Income
Joplin
$51,154
Waterville
$47,489
Home Value
Joplin
$159,700
Waterville
$173,700
Rent
Joplin
$889
Waterville
$957
Crime Rate
Joplin
5.60
Waterville
1.42
Cost of Living
Joplin
86.0
Waterville
89.0
Avg Temp
Joplin
N/A
Waterville
N/A
Unemployment
Joplin
5.7%
Waterville
5.4%
How Similar Are Joplin & Waterville?
Waterville is Joplin's #20 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Joplin
52,218
Waterville
16,704
Joplin (52,218) is about 3.1x larger than Waterville (16,704).
Violent Crime
Joplin
5.60
Waterville
1.42
Joplin's violent crime is significantly higher than Waterville's — 75% difference.
Property Crime
Joplin
41.21
Waterville
30.24
Joplin has a 27% higher property crime than Waterville.
Political Leaning
Joplin
72.7%
Waterville
50.2%
Both cities lean Republican, but Joplin has a stronger Republican lean (31% difference).
Unemployment
Joplin
5.7%
Waterville
5.4%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 6% difference.
Median Income
Joplin
$51,154
Waterville
$47,489
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
Joplin
$159,700
Waterville
$173,700
Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.
Education
Joplin
17.8%
Waterville
19.2%
Both cities have similar education — just a 7% difference.
Demographics
Joplin
83.8%
Waterville
90.2%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 7% difference.
Cost of Living
Joplin
86.0
Waterville
89.0
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Joplin and Waterville share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Joplin
0
Waterville
Joplin leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Joplin leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDJoplin has a fair market rent (2br) of $947 vs $1,416 in Waterville (33% lower). Joplin has a fair market rent (1br) of $765 vs $1,090 in Waterville (30% lower). Joplin scores 88.4 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 103.2 in Waterville.
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 ACSWaterville has a vacancy rate of 6.2% compared to 11.3% in Joplin. Joplin has a single-family homes of 74.2% compared to 42.7% in Waterville. Joplin has a median property tax of $1,144 vs $2,679 in Waterville (57% 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 Waterville: 7,993 for labor force. Waterville has a work from home of 15.7% compared to 8.5% in Joplin. Joplin has a poverty rate of 17.9% compared to 25.4% in Waterville.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Waterville leads
Source: FBI UCRWaterville has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.24 compared to 4.18 in Joplin. Waterville has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.59 compared to 4.17 in Joplin. Waterville has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 1.42 compared to 5.60 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 BureauWaterville has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.2% compared to 17.8% in Joplin. Joplin has a high school diploma or higher of 39.4% compared to 37.1% in Waterville.
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 3.1x the size of Waterville (16,704). Waterville skews younger with a median age of 34.5 vs 37.5.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Joplin
Waterville
Healthcare — Waterville leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareWaterville: 4.0 vs Joplin: 1.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Joplin leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSJoplin has a public transit of 0.2% compared to 0.1% in Waterville. Waterville has a work from home of 15.7% compared to 8.5% in Joplin. Joplin has a drive alone of 78.4% compared to 67.4% in Waterville.
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.