Joplin, Missouri

Joplin, Missouri
Aerial view of downtown Joplin, 2009. The bridge is 2nd Street and the intersection is 2nd St. and Virginia Ave.
Nickname(s): 
"JoMo", "The J", "J-Town", and “Go Town USA”
Motto: 
"The City that Jack Built"
Location in the state of Missouri
Joplin
Joplin
Coordinates: 37°5′3″N 94°30′47″W / 37.08417°N 94.51306°W / 37.08417; -94.51306
CountryUnited States
StateMissouri
Counties
Incorporated1873
Government
  MayorKeenan Cortez
Area
  City
38.21 sq mi (98.96 km2)
  Land38.08 sq mi (98.63 km2)
  Water0.13 sq mi (0.33 km2)
Elevation
1,004 ft (306 m)
Population
 (2020)
  City
51,762
  RankMO: 12th
  Density1,359.26/sq mi (524.82/km2)
  Metro
214,424 (US: 135th)
DemonymJoplinite
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
  Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
64801–64804
Area code417
FIPS code29-37592
GNIS feature ID2395482
Websitejoplinmo.org

Joplin is a city in Jasper and Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. Joplin is the largest city located within both Jasper and Newton Counties – even though it is not the county seat of either county (Carthage is the seat of Jasper County while Neosho is the seat of Newton County). With a population of 51,762 as of the 2020 census, Joplin is the 12th most-populous city in the state. The city covers an area of 35.69 square miles (92.41 km2) on the outer edge of the Ozark Mountains. Joplin is the main hub of the three-county Joplin-Miami, Missouri-Oklahoma Metro area, which is home to 210,077 people; this makes the city the fifth largest metropolitan area in Missouri. In May 2011, a violent EF5 tornado killed more than 150 people and destroyed one-third of the city.