Joplin, MO — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Missouri·Joplin

Jasper County · Joplin · population 53,605

First-time buyers

Image: Wikipedia · Joplin, Missouri

Overview Cost of living Moving guide

View watchlist →

Rising

Momentum score · 0–100

Where Joplin stands

At or near all-time high. rents up 9.7% in the last year.

Median home $202,523

1-year +0.9%

5-yr CAGR +6.4%

vs 5-yr peak +0.0%

Population +0.9%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly

Lifestyle scores

🚶

Walkability

30/100

Very car-dependent

Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.

🚉

Public transit

22/100

Transit limited

Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.

💻

Remote work fit

85/100

Excellent for remote work

Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 13.5

Buy

At a 13.5 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Joplin on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 13.5 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →

Home YoY

54 · w22%

Home 5-yr CAGR

71 · w22%

Distance from peak

90 · w18%

Population growth

63 · w16%

Rent YoY

85 · w12%

Home 10-yr CAGR

69 · w10%

Long thesis

Joplin has held up across the cycle: home values at $202,523 with +6.4% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Joplin's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Joplin

Joplin is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, with an estimated population of 53,605. The population grew 0.9% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Joplin is $202,523 as of 2026-04, up 0.9% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.4% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Joplin average $1,249 per month, up 9.7% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 71 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +6.4% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.

●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

●Hot rental market: rents up 9.7% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.

▼ Bear case

●Rental squeeze: rents up 9.7% YoY — tenants face tough renewals. Affordability deteriorating fast.

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Joplin (Wikipedia)

Joplin is a city in Jasper and Newton counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city lies in Jasper County, with the southern portion extending into Newton County. With a population of 51,762 at the 2020 census, Joplin is the 12th most-populous city in the state. The city covers an area of 38.21 square miles (99.0 km2) on the outer edge of the Ozark Mountains in southwestern Missouri. Joplin is the principal city of the three-county Joplin metropolitan area, which is home to 210,077 people and is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Missouri. In May 2011, a violent EF5 tornado killed more than 150 people and destroyed one-third of the city.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorKeenan Cortez

Area38.21 sq mi

Elevation1004 ft

Platted1873

Motto"The City that Jack Built"

Density1359.26/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Jasper County right now.

NWS active alerts (MO)Missouri Emergency Management How to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Jasper County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Joplin

1 tracked · ranked by median home value

1Silver Creek$272,160+0.8%

Cities like Joplin

Liberty, MO70 · Rising St. Peters, MO71 · Rising Gladstone, MO69 · Rising St. Charles, MO67 · Rising

Run the numbers for Joplin

ToolCan I afford Joplin?Income → city shortlist ToolROI on a Joplin rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCR ToolCompare Joplin to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 cities ToolJoplin cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)

39° / 22°

avg high / low

Summer (Jul)

88° / 67°

avg high / low

Sunny days/yr

211

~58% of year

Annual precip

42″ rain

16″ snow

Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)

Hurricane

Very low

Tornado

Very high

Wildfire

Very low

Earthquake

High

Flood

High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Joplin listings on the major real-estate sites.

For rent

Zillow rentals → Apartments.com → Trulia rentals →

For sale

Zillow for sale → Realtor.com →

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Latest news

Joplin marks 15 years since devastating EF-5 tornado
FOX4KC.com · 3h ago
Joplin tornado special revisits survival and recovery 15 years later
Springfield News-Leader · 2d ago
15 years: Remembering the Joplin tornado
Newstalk KZRG · 1h ago
Finn’s fine dining restaurant closes in Joplin
KOAM News Now · 2d ago
15 Years After the Joplin Tornado: Stories of Resilience and Recovery in Disaster Relief
Procter & Gamble · 1d ago
1906 Missouri Ave, Joplin, MO 64804
Realtor.com · 1d ago

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Joplin area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

NFLKansas City Chiefs →

MLBKansas City Royals →

Local economy & environment

Humidity

70%

Humid climate

Median household income

$65,900

Missouri state median

Top industries (state-level)

HealthcareManufacturingFinance

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.