Jonesboro receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.
Signals
Florence
Jonesboro
Opportunity
59 · Top 45%
vs65 · Top 31%
Growth
77 · Top 8%
vs73 · Top 13%
Climate
76 · Top 25%
vs70 · Top 49%
Physical resilience
42 · Bottom 33%
vs50 · Bottom 43%
Housing affordability
84 · Top 44%
vs82 · Top 47%
Access
65 · Bottom 9%
vs78 · Bottom 19%
Economic stability
38 · Bottom 15%
vs40 · Bottom 18%
Measured values
| Metric | Florence | Jonesboro | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 40,408 | 80,137 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $56,143 | $55,424 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $34,306 | $33,544 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 1,628/sq mi | 1,000/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $211,400 | $223,200 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $992 | $956 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 58.4% | 54.3% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | 4.4% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | 2.3% | 2.6% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30.4% | 31.8% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 18.9% | 22.8% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 474 | 792 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 11.7 | 9.9 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | 45.0% | 2.1% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 92°F | 91°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 36°F | 31°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 45.3" | 48.5" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 60 mi | 42 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 20.2 min | 19.8 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 37.8 | 33.9 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 22 | 26 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 14.06 | 14.69 | 2024-25 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
Florence
Elevated or high exposure: hurricane, earthquake.
Jonesboro
Elevated or high exposure: ice storm.
Full profiles: Florence, SC · Jonesboro, AR · How this is calculated: methodology