Photo: Nyttend · Public domainMeasured against area pay, Jonesboro costs less to live in than 88% of U.S. towns
Down 4.5% in a year, 55% below the Illinois typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of Union County, IL ($56K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across Union County earn ($56K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.9 years of area income, and 46% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $133Ktypical home, 55% below the Illinois typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $920a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 1.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$56K, Union County income
- 15%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 16%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Jonesboro
Prices are 7% below their 2021 peak
The typical Jonesboro home peaked at $144K in April 2021 and is worth about $133K now. Across Illinois, values are at or near their high. Over five years, Jonesboro is down 5%. Price trend ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Jonesboro home runs about $880 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $920. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Jonesboro’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Jonesboro is more affordable than 88% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Values have lagged Illinois: the typical Jonesboro home is down 5.0% in five years, against 29.6% statewide (Zillow).
Down 5% in five years
Slower than Illinois (29.6%).
Show as a table
| January | Jonesboro | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $136,000 | $179,000 |
| 2018 | $134,000 | $188,000 |
| 2019 | $125,000 | $193,000 |
| 2020 | $133,000 | $198,000 |
| 2021 | $137,000 | $213,000 |
| 2022 | $135,000 | $233,000 |
| 2023 | $135,000 | $246,000 |
| 2024 | $139,000 | $260,000 |
| 2025 | $140,000 | $275,000 |
| 2026 | $142,000 | $287,000 |
| September 2026 | $133,000 | $296,000 |
A typical Jonesboro home worth $133K in October 2016 is worth about $133K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 1.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Jonesboro’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Jonesboro home, with $64K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $920 a month here, $40 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Jonesboro’s typical property tax (1.68% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $920
Renters already here pay a median of $688, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Cape Girardeau, MO-IL MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
1 new home permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1 new home in Jonesboro in 2025. That's 0.5 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Illinois (1.6). Over the past 10 years, Jonesboro has permitted 12 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Jonesboro's population fell by 110 even though 14 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 2 | 2 | 0 | $157,000 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $155,000 |
| 2024 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $235,000 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $175,000 |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $175,000 |
| 2018 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $233,000 |
| 2017 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $233,000 |
| 2016 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $233,000 |
| 2015 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $233,000 |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $116,000 |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $116,000 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $116,000 |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $116,000 |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $116,000 |
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $116,000 |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $233,000 |
| 2007 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $349,000 |
| 2006 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $465,000 |
| 2005 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $582,000 |
| 2004 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $582,000 |
| 2003 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $582,000 |
| 2002 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $582,000 |
| 2001 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $496,000 |
| 2000 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $413,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Illinois norm
The median bill is $1,792 (Illinois: $5,298), 1.68% of a home’s value a year, against 2.01% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Jonesboro vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Jonesboro has the lowest.
Questions about the cost of living in Jonesboro
Is Jonesboro expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Jonesboro costs less than 88% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living. The typical home costs 1.9 years of the median household income of Union County, IL ($56K).
How much does a house cost in Jonesboro?
About $133K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 4.5% in a year. The Illinois typical home is $296K.
What salary do you need to live in Jonesboro?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $38,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $880 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $37,000.
How much is rent in Jonesboro?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $920 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $688 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Jonesboro?
The median bill is $1,792 a year, 1.68% of the median home value (Illinois: $5,298, 2.01%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Jonesboro going up?
No: down 4.5% in the past year and -5.0% in five years, against 29.6% across Illinois (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Jonesboro buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.