Jackson vs New Orleans
The short version
- Jackson is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the New Orleans area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $111,700 in Jackson and $315,700 in New Orleans.
- Households earn more in New Orleans ($56,631 vs $42,071 median).
- New Orleans is growing faster: -5.7% since 2020 vs -8.1%.
Side by side
| Jackson, MS | New Orleans, LA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 141,196 | 362,154 |
| Growth since 2020 | -8.1% | -5.7% |
| People per square mile | 1,264 | 2,137 |
| Median age | 34.5 | 38.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29% | 42% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $42,071 | $56,631 |
| Median home value | $111,700 | $315,700 |
| Home value to income | 2.7× | 5.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,055 | $1,251 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 89.0 | 92.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 64.8 | 86.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $66,800 | $69,400 |
| Homeowners | 49% | 51% |
| Top state income tax | 4% | 3% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.06% | 10.13% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.9 | 22.6 |
| Work from home | 9% | 15% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 9.3% | 7.5% |
| Poverty rate | 27.9% | 22.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 57° / 37° | 61° / 47° |
| July high / low | 92° / 72° | 91° / 78° |
| Precipitation per year | 57 in | 60 in |
| Snowfall per year | 1 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 85 | 86 |
| Nights below freezing | 40 | 2 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 94.3 | 98.3 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 46% | 52% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.8% | +2.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +29.3% | +13.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Jackson: May and October to November. New Orleans: February and October to November.
Full monthly tables: Jackson weather by month and New Orleans weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $66,800 in Jackson and $69,400 in New Orleans. Moving from Jackson to New Orleans, you would need about $78,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Jackson and New Orleans
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Jackson and New Orleans.
Which would you pick?
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