For Veterans
Joplin proudly embraces those who have served our nation. Quality of life, ample job opportunities, and exceptional healthcare make the area an excellent place for active-duty service members, veterans, and their families. Several Guard and Reserve units are already located throughout the region while nearly 10,000 veterans call the Joplin Metro area home.
Choose to join us and find out what makes Joplin the perfect home for our veterans and military members.
Affordable Housing
The Joplin region enjoys one of the lowest housing costs in the U.S. This area is also home to one of the lowest residential property tax rates in the Midwest. With reasonable prices and low taxes, your dream of home ownership is a reality.
Whether you prefer downtown loft-living, a kid-friendly subdivision, a small town lifestyle, or a place in the country, the Joplin area offers many varieties of housing options from which to choose!
Serving Those Who Have Served
Our town has become an excellent home for serving and retired military members through the expansion of our veterans’ services, including the establishment of the new Joplin Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Clinic in 2019.
Several additional organizations within our community support our area veterans.
For more than 100 years, Joplin’s American Legion Post 13 has sought to honor fellow veterans through community service. They annually sponsor the Veteran's Day Parade and Veteran's Expo, and have an honor guard that attends the funerals of fallen service members from the area.
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 534 in Joplin is committed to advocating for and honoring retired military service members and those currently serving at home and abroad. Their events foster comradery between veterans and create opportunities to volunteer within the community.
The Student Veteran Organization of Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) is dedicated to helping veterans succeed in their educational pursuits while keeping them aware of available resources on campus and opportunities for leadership and service.
With a variety of services to help veterans find jobs, the Missouri Job Center office in Joplin strives to help our country’s service members as they transition into the civilian workforce. Programs like Show-Me Heroes On-the-Job Training help connect veterans with employers as they return home.
Serving active service members and veterans across the Joplin region,
Compass Quest Veterans Advocacy Group seeks to ensure the well-being of all military members. Their services include peer mentoring, transition and outreach programs, advocacy, and pairing disabled veterans with service dogs.
Excellent Education Options
Whether you are looking to continue your own education or need a good school for your children, the Joplin area has an array of private, public, and parochial schools as well as higher education institutions.
Joplin's schools, and those in nearby communities, are some of the most recognized and respected in the region. Area school systems have a heritage of dedication and commitment not only to local students but to future service members as well, with the longest running ROTC program in the nation celebrating 100 years at Joplin High School in 2019.
Post-graduate options include several technical schools, Crowder College, and MSSU, which has been annually recognized as a Military Friendly School since 2009. Higher education in the area has been enhanced with the new Kansas City University - Joplin School of Medicine and Biosciences, a campus belonging to one of the nation's top ten private medical schools.
And while all area schools work in tandem to help students attain the highest level of learning, Friday nights belong to the local sports enthusiasts as they put on their school colors and cheer on our local teams.
Job Opportunities for Everyone
As the Joplin region’s economy grows, there are plenty of jobs available in nearly every sector.
Manufacturing, healthcare, government, transportation and logistics are among the largest employment sectors. All of these industries have positions ranging from entry-level to highly technical and include supervisory, information technology, and management jobs.
There is also a growing variety of technology and IT firms throughout the region. Our higher education institutions and area school systems are always seeking good employees. And retail, restaurant, hospitality, and social service jobs abound too.