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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Career-launching requires a city that pays well and has employer depth. We analyzed 1 cities in Mississippi. Jackson: index 75 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — , income $43,238, transport index 94.
#1 Ranked: Jackson — cost index 75, rent $1,283/mo, income $43,238
Young-professional scoring: income $43,238, population 143,709 (job market depth), transport index 94
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Career-launching requires a city that pays well and has employer depth. We analyzed 1 cities in Mississippi. Jackson: index 75 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — , income $43,238, transport index 94.
Here's Jackson by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And most of the time, cost index: 75. Rent: $1,283/month. Income: $43,238/year. Home price: $86,017. Population: 143,709. The strongest category is Housing at 75; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $7,344 per year vs. the national median. That kind of value just doesn't show up in expensive metros.
For young professionals, we weight income potential highest (20pts) — early career earnings compound over decades. Population comes next (15pts) as a proxy for job market depth: more employers means more opportunity. Transport costs (10pts) matter because most early-career workers are car-dependent. Jackson leads with $43,238 — we had to double-check this one — median income and 143,709 residents.
A real contender.
None of this exists in a vacuum, though. State context matters: Mississippi's 1 cities average a 75 cost index with $1,283/month — though some people might weigh that differently — median rent and $43,238 household income. The most affordable state in America by most measures. The FAQ section goes deeper on this.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
143,709 residents · Mississippi
The numbers for Jackson are straightforward: 75 on the cost index, $1,283/month — for better or worse — rent, $43,238 income. And in practical terms, not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. That's about what we'd expect given the state context.
Jackson ranks #1 in Mississippi for this analysis with a cost index of 75 and median income of $43,238.
Jackson scores highest for young professionals due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,283/mo, and competitive median income of $43,238.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Jackson is $1,283/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $612 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Jackson is $86,017, which is 2.0× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. The national median home price is $467,370.
Mississippi has a 5% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.07%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.63%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.