Did you know? Which Southeast Missouri town or city has (by far) the highest median income?

The city of Jackson supports the highest median income by far of the six most-populated cities or towns in the Southeast Missouri region, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures.

The numbers are based on 2021 dollars. Still, the census numbers show a median household income range from $36,219 in Poplar Bluff to nearly double that in Jackson.

Jackson was the only Southeast Missouri town to post a higher median household income than the state of Missouri, which is $61,043 and the United States, which is $69,021.

It's worth noting that Missouri has the seventh lowest cost of living in the nation.

Median Household Income

Major towns in Southeast Missouri (north to Perryville, south to Poplar Bluff)

1. Jackson, $70,179

2. Perryville, $50,774

3. Cape Girardeau, $48,055

4. Sikeston, $46,029

5. Dexter, $42,521

6. Poplar Bluff, $36,219

Southern Illinois

1. Carterville, $61,000

2. Marion, $46,515

3. Harrisburg, $36,701

4. Murphysboro, $38,949

5. Carbondale, $24,452

Western Kentucky

1. Paducah, $42,024

2. Mayfield $37,212

What is median household income?

It includes the income of the householder and all other individuals in the household 15 years or older, whether they are related or not.

A median is the data point that falls in the middle, with half of the cases falling below the median income and half above the median. The data is pulled from the American Community Survey, conducted annually.

Per capita

Another way to look at income by population is per capita.

The Missouri Economic Research and Information Center puts out data that measures how much each person in the county would make each year if all income were divided evenly across the population.

Per capita income, according to the Economic Research and Information Center, measures total personal income divided by total population, which includes children, so it's not a measure that reflects typical incomes, but rather how wealthy a county is in relation to the number of people who live there.

The data is only presented by county, and not by city, however, except St. Louis. St. Louis County leads all Missouri counties in this category at $78,804.

All of the counties in Southeast Missouri fall below the state per capita average of $51,697.

Here's a look at the per capita income for counties in Southeast Missouri (based on 2020 figures, not adjusted for inflation).

Income per capita

Southeast Missouri counties

1. Cape Girardeau: $47,386

2. Perry: $45,002

3. Scott: $44,148

4. New Madrid: $41,953

5. Stoddard: $41,158

6. Pemiscot: $40,931

7. Dunklin: $38,821

8. Mississippi: $37,483

9. Bollinger: $36,548