City profile · Georgia · Census ACS 2023

Jonesboro, GA

Jonesboro's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

6,137
Residents
$50,060
Median income
$142,900
Median home
$1,203
Median rent (state)
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State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Jonesboro.

Place dossier plate

Sheet GA-JONESBORO-GA · Jonesboro, GA 6,137 pop · income 20th pct

POP-TOWN · INC-MID · COL-PAR · SAFE-UNK · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-TOWN 6,137
  • INC-MID $50,060
  • COL-PAR 96.3
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-LOWER 20th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Center
  • HOME-LOW $142,900
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Center, CO ( $3 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Jonesboro

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Jonesboro on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Jonesboro on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 6,137.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $50,060. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Jonesboro - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Jonesboro places in the 20th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

20th
percentile, household income
25th
percentile, home value
51st
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Jonesboro, GA

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 6,137 residents in Jonesboro, a small town within Georgia. The typical household in Jonesboro brings in $50,060 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 31.3%. Typical homes in Jonesboro are valued around $142,900, and the median resident age is 35.3 years. Educational attainment runs 6.7% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 39.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 3 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 70% from five years earlier. NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 61.7°F with 52.9 inches of precipitation per year and 0.8 inches of snowfall.

Living costs in Georgia run below the national norm: the state registers 96.3 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,203 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Georgia run around $225, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 39.5 out of 100 (Very Low).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Jonesboro's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from schools and households to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to housing and income to climate and hazard context to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Jonesboro, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, matched public-school count, annual population history, commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

Question 1

What does the education layer cover for Jonesboro?

The NCES join finds 22 public schools within the city match. 6.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.

The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.

See how the family ranking is built →

Question 2

Which cities make useful reference points for Jonesboro?

Within Georgia, the closest population matches are Barnesville (6,070 residents, $58,317 income); Fairfield Plantation (6,231 residents, $97,133 income); McRae-Helena (5,959 residents, $51,296 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Plaquemine, LA (6,136 residents); Churchville, PA (6,139 residents); Yaphank, NY (6,140 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

3. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in Jonesboro?

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 78.7%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Compare commute patterns →

Question 4

How far does income reach against housing in Jonesboro?

The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 31.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Other supported questions

Why these stay compact

These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.

Climate and hazard context

What physical conditions frame life in Jonesboro?

NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 61.7°F, with 52.9 inches of precipitation and 0.8 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Georgia is 39.5 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.

The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.

Mean temperature
61.7°F
Annual precipitation
52.9 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
39.5

NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.

Read the source boundaries →

Population change

Is Jonesboro growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.

Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +87 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.5% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 3 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

Period change
+1.5%
2025 estimate
6,046
2020 estimate
5,959

Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.

See the national growth ranking →

Population

6,137 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$50,060 /yr

Low income · poverty 31.3% (Highest-decile poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

96.3 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Georgia average

City profile score · Jonesboro, GA

20/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Cost of living C
96.3 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Household income F
$50,060

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Poverty rate F
31.3%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Bachelor's+ share F
6.7%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Jonesboro profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Cost of living, Household income, Poverty rate, Bachelor's+ share. Cost of livingHousehold incomePoverty rateBachelor's+ share 20 F
Jonesboro profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Cost of living: 57/100 (C) · 96.3 index
  • Household income: 20/100 (F) · $50,060
  • Poverty rate: 0/100 (F) · 31.3%
  • Bachelor's+ share: 0/100 (F) · 6.7%

How does Jonesboro compare to other US cities?

Here's how Jonesboro stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 20% higher than other cities
Home value 25% pricier than other cities
Median rent 51% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Jonesboro against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Georgia only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Georgia-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places Jonesboro near the bottom of Georgia's cities

Among the 638 Georgia cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Jonesboro ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Jonesboro only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#350 of 610
43rd percentile in Georgia
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 638
0th percentile in Georgia
Median Home Value
#346 of 577
40th percentile in Georgia
Poverty Rate
#60 of 637
91st percentile in Georgia
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#558 of 638
12th percentile in Georgia
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Georgia only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

20thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

20th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Jonesboro's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$142,900 Among the most affordable more affordable than 75% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). This entry sits in this band. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Jonesboro $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Jonesboro's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.9×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#5,881 of 15,516
More affordable than 62% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#5,071 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 2.9×, Jonesboro sits in the affordable band: national rank #5,881 of 15,516 and #5,071 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$50,060 Jonesboro, GA median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Jonesboro, GA Jonesboro, GA's median household income ($50,060) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Jonesboro, GA-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Jonesboro, GA median $50,060/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Jonesboro, GA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Jonesboro, GA.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 6.7%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 31.3%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 39.6%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
6,137
Median Income
$50,060
Median Home Value
$142,900
Median Age
35.3
Poverty Rate
31.3%
Labor force participation
39.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
6.7%

Climate

Avg Temperature
61.7°F
Annual Precipitation
52.9"
Annual Snowfall
0.8"

Schools

Total Schools
22
Public schools in this city

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
5,800 residents6,000 residents6,200 residents6,400 residents 202020212022202320242025 5,959 residents 6,046 residents ▲ +1.5%
Jonesboro's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 5,959 residents
2021 6,340 residents
2022 6,177 residents
2023 6,103 residents
2024 6,072 residents
2025 6,046 residents

Housing Supply

BPS source

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
3
housing units authorized
Single-Family
3
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.5
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 10
2020 68
2021 10
2022 1
2023 1
2024 3

Permit volume decreased 70% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
78.7%
Carpool
11.7%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
4.0%
Work from Home
4.8%
Other
0.8%

Based on 1,932 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

Georgia statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $225

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Georgia at $225 (electricity about $125 , water and sewer about $45 ).

These are Georgia statewide averages, not a meter reading for Jonesboro. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Georgia's BEA cost-of-living index is 96.3 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Jonesboro is $1,203/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Georgia statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 39.5 / 100 (Very Low).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a Georgia statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Jonesboro sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Jonesboro compares to similar-size Georgia cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Jonesboro (this city) 6,137 $50,060
Barnesville 6,070 $58,317
Fairfield Plantation 6,231 $97,133
McRae-Helena 5,959 $51,296
NOAA Normals NCES CCD Census BPS 2024
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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