Jackson, Tennessee
Area Profile
68,435 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Jackson, in Madison County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 16 sourcesUnemployment is 4.4% and median household income $53,032, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured.
155 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, essentially level with the prior year — steady rather than turning.
Rent takes 33% of renter income here, above the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 2.8 times what its owners earn.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 4.4% — higher than in all but 47% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment fell 1.3% over the past year, to 29,235 employed residents.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsMadison County, TN’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $52,209 | 11th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftMadison County, TN’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $52,974 | 11th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$2,6722024 ACS 5-Year | $53,032 | Bottom 28%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$1,6382024 ACS 5-Year | $31,372 | Bottom 42%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 21.5% | Bottom 20%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±0.9 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 19.9 min | Top 17%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 27.8% | Top 34%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 71.7% | 32nd percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 29,235 | Bottom 35%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | +2.0% | Top 20%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | −1.3% | Bottom 36%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 30,577 | 34th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 76.3% | Bottom 43%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wageJackson, TN Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $53,290 | Bottom 3%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wageJackson, TN Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $44,790 | Bottom 6%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Public transit to work ±0.6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.0% | 84th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | −0.4% | Top 34%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 4.4% | Bottom 47%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 9.7% | 59th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
Median household income, successive ACS releases
Largest occupations — Jackson, TN
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 2,410 | $36,710 |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,390 | $30,990 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,370 | $26,360 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 2,280 | $31,120 |
| Registered Nurses | 1,930 | $75,610 |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 1,890 | $40,340 |
Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
20% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 25% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Side High School | Madison County | 903 | — | 3% | 21% |
| Northeast Middle School | Madison County | 804 | — | 33% | 24% |
| Thelma Barker Elementary | Madison County | 776 | — | 36% | 27% |
| South Side High School | Madison County | 756 | — | 21% | 25% |
| Community Montessori School | Madison County | 665 | — | 47% | 56% |
| Pope School | Madison County | 628 | — | 33% | 27% |
| Arlington Elementary School | Madison County | 626 | — | 8% | 9% |
| Liberty Technology Magnet High School | Madison County | 604 | — | 2% | 16% |
| Andrew Jackson Elementary School | Madison County | 566 | — | 20% | 14% |
| Isaac Lane Technology Magnet Elementary | Madison County | 563 | — | 12% | 12% |
| Rose Hill School | Madison County | 511 | — | 15% | 16% |
| Jackson Central Merry High School | Madison County | 507 | — | — | — |
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Tennessee’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Prices for everything a household buys run about 13% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 86.8, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Jackson, TN Metro Area is up 56% over five years, and up 6.1% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,527 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.70% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,260, some 10% above the $1,145 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,260 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $50,400 a year, about 95% of the median household income here of $53,032.
The typical renter household here spends 33% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,145 a month.
A median home at $217,800 costs 2.8 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $78,129, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
Prices here run about 13% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.
Published for the Jackson, TN Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.
The figures above are measured against Jackson’s median household income of $53,032, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living indexthe Jackson, TN Metro Area’s figure2023 | 86.8 | Top 2%of 3,700 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)the Jackson, TN Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +6.1% | 88th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the Jackson, TN Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +56.4% | 91st percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the Jackson, TN Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +116.5% | 83rd percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.32024 ACS 5-Year | 2.8 | Bottom 40%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 51.2% | 10th percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±3722024 ACS 5-Year | 30,324 | 98th percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $960 | Top 19%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,677 | Top 28%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,260 | Top 25%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$272024 ACS 5-Year | $1,145 | Bottom 35%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$8,9352024 ACS 5-Year | $217,800 | 58th percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$1102024 ACS 5-Year | $1,527 | 43rd percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$6,9982024 ACS 5-Year | $78,129 | Bottom 49%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.06%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.70% | 29th percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 33.3% | Bottom 26%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±1162024 ACS 5-Year | 147 | 92nd percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.5% | 56th percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 8.7% | 58th percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±4272024 ACS 5-Year | 2,783 | 98th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 2% since 2020, reaching 69,303 in 2024.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 155 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.
Federal tax returns show Madison County, which contains Jackson, lost about 0.3% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $52,209, close to the $52,974 of households that moved out.
At 2.3 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Gibson County, TN 545 people · 12% of arrivals
- Shelby County, TN 336 people · 7.2% of arrivals
- Chester County, TN 222 people · 4.7% of arrivals
- Haywood County, TN 221 people · 4.7% of arrivals
- Henderson County, TN 169 people · 3.6% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Gibson County, TN 753 people · 15% of departures
- Shelby County, TN 299 people · 6.0% of departures
- Chester County, TN 231 people · 4.7% of departures
- Henderson County, TN 211 people · 4.3% of departures
- Rutherford County, TN 190 people · 3.8% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Madison County, TN. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 90°F and January a low of 29°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 53.9 inches.
Air quality measures a median index of 33, in the Good band, and no day in the year passed 100.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 54 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 53.9" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 29°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 90°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 7 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 0 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 33 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 41°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are earthquake, tornado and cold wave, with earthquake alone responsible for 51% of it. Cold wave is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.
Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, heat wave, lightning, strong wind, inland flooding, hurricane, drought, winter weather, wildfire, hail, coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity, avalanche.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.
Jackson's police department reported 727 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, higher than most places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 2,644.
Madison County records 14.1 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, higher than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at 17.1 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 20.2 per 100,000 residents in Madison County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Offenses are reported to the FBI by Jackson’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Jackson (Madison County) rather than Jackson itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Millington/Memphis at 62 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 89.3% | Bottom 48%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 62 mi | Bottom 8%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 3 | Bottom 20%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 8.8% | Bottom 43%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millington/Memphis | NQA | 62 mi | 8,001 ft |
| Arkansas Intl | BYH | 66 mi | 11,602 ft |
| Frederick W Smith Intl/Memphis | MEM | 77 mi | 11,120 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
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Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Safety | Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency | 2025 calendar year |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.