10 Midwestern Cities With Plenty of Jobs and Cheap Housing

Finding a place to live that’s affordable and also offers plentiful job opportunities can be difficult, especially in the current economic climate. Fortunately, the Midwest offers a number of options for people who are seeking both.

To identify cities in the U.S. that have plenty of jobs and cheap housing, GOBankingRates gathered information on the 200 biggest housing markets in the U.S., according to Zillow, including the typical home value and monthly rent as of February 2023. We also analyzed the metro unemployment rate, according to the December 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

The Midwestern cities identified here represent places that score the best across all three factors, with all factors falling below the national average. Here’s a look at 10 cities in the Midwest to consider if you’re looking for cheap housing and employment opportunities.

• Typical home value: $168,401
• Typical rent: $826
• 2022 unemployment rate: 2.3%

• Typical home value: $213,892
• Typical rent: $1,227
• 2022 unemployment rate: 1.9%

• Typical home value: $202,934
• Typical rent: $1,121
• 2022 unemployment rate: 2.2%

• Typical home value: $259,208
• Typical rent: $1,199
• 2022 unemployment rate: 2.1%

• Typical home value: $173,931
• Typical rent: $1,160
• 2022 unemployment rate: 2.4%

• Typical home value: $302,956
• Typical rent: $1,178
• 2022 unemployment rate: 2%

• Typical home value: $216,351
• Typical rent: $1,307
• 2019 unemployment rate: 2.2%

• Typical home value: $141,077
• Typical rent: $1,227
• 2019 unemployment rate: 2.5%

• Typical home value: $215,545
• Typical rent: $1,282
• 2019 unemployment rate: 2.4%

• Typical home value: $180,023
• Typical rent: $964
• 2019 unemployment rate: 2.9%

Methodology: In order to identify cities in the U.S. that have plenty of jobs and cheap housing, GOBankingRates gathered information on the top 200 biggest housing markets in the U.S., according to Zillow. To be considered for ranking, each city had to have data available on: (1) its February 2023 typical home value, according to Zillow, (2) its February 2023 typical monthly rent, according to Zillow and (3) its Metro Statistical Area unemployment rate, according to the December 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The 65 cities in the final ranking have values lower than the U.S. national average in all 3 of the above factors. The highlighted cities were then scored on all three factors and ranked against each other, with factors (1) and (2) carrying half as much weight as factor (3). All data was collected on and up to date as of March 14, 2023.