There's no place like Jonesboro, AR.
According to a study conducted by SmartAsset and published by CNBC, our very own community here in Jonesboro, AR has been recognized as one of the best places for working parents to raise a family! The article cites 2018 statistics gathered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics expressing that 63% of children under the age of 18 live in households in which both parents are employed. Quality of living in various cities across the nation can be measured by several metrics including unemployment rate, median annual rental/mortgage costs, median graduation rates, and average childcare costs-- all of which were accounted for in SmartAssets quest to find the areas in which most parents are thriving.
Coming in at #6 of 10, Jonesboro boasts a 2.7% overall unemployment rate (only 1.4% above the #1 city), with an average high school graduation rate of 90% (beating out our Northwest AR neighbor, Fayetteville). In addition to its employment and academic performance statistics, Jonesboro also proves to be extremely cost effective both in median annual rental/mortgage costs and average childcare costs sitting at $9,396 and $6,037 respectively.
As Jonesboro, AR natives, we have always felt that there never was anyplace quite like our small piece of heaven here in Northeast Arkansas. But it's reassuring to see prominent studies such as this affirm our biases!
Find the full study linked here to see the numbers for yourself!
