Janesville-Beloit cost of living
Prices in the Janesville-Beloit, WI metro area run at 93.7 against a national average of 100, ranking it #190 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 79.6.
What drives the number
Prices in Janesville-Beloit run at 93.7 where the national average is 100, so about 6.3 per cent below the country as a whole. It ranks #190 of 387 metro areas. It is priced almost exactly like Wisconsin as a whole, which is unusual for a metro area.
Housing is unusually cheap relative to everything else here. Rents sit at 79.6 against goods at 93.8 and other services at 90.4, so the overall figure of 93.7 understates how affordable the housing itself is. It is the opposite of the usual pattern, where housing is what makes a place expensive. Goods at 93.8 are themselves 6.2 points off national, which is a wide gap for a category that is mostly shipped in.
The number is most useful in reverse: a job here can pay less in cash and still leave a household better off, by roughly 6.3 per cent before anything else is considered.
The vertical line is the national average of 100. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, SARPP, 2024.
What the biggest local jobs are really worth
The same pay buys different amounts in different places, so a salary quoted in Janesville-Beloit is not comparable to one quoted elsewhere until it is divided by the local parity. These are the occupations that employ the most people here, with the quoted median alongside what that median is worth at national prices.
| Occupation | Employed | Median pay | Worth nationally | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 2,210 | $42,600 | $45,464 | $38,940 |
| Cashiers | 1,840 | $29,970 | $31,985 | $31,190 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,820 | $58,900 | $62,860 | $57,440 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,790 | $28,330 | $30,235 | $30,480 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 1,700 | $35,580 | $37,972 | $34,900 |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,610 | $33,330 | $35,571 | $34,580 |
| Registered Nurses | 1,450 | $84,610 | $90,299 | $93,600 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,400 | $37,130 | $39,626 | $37,090 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 93.7.
Nearby metro areas
| Metro area | All items | Rents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | 104.8 | 111.8 | #31 |
| Kenosha | 101.1 | 95.8 | #66 |
| Madison | 97.3 | 99.7 | #123 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha | 96.9 | 97.1 | #130 |
| Racine-Mount Pleasant | 96.0 | 92.0 | #145 |
| Sheboygan | 94.0 | 80.5 | #181 |
Janesville-Beloit: common questions
Is Janesville-Beloit expensive?
Prices are 6.3% below the national average, a parity of 93.7 where the country is 100. It ranks #190 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against Wisconsin as a whole it is 0.4 points less expensive.
What salary do you need in Janesville-Beloit?
The median worker there earns $47,410, which buys what $50,598 buys nationally once local prices are taken into account. Comparing a salary offer between cities without this adjustment is comparing nothing useful.
Is housing the reason?
Usually. Rents here are at 79.6 against goods at 93.8. Goods barely vary between American cities because most are shipped and priced nationally; housing varies enormously, and it dominates any cost of living comparison.