Business & site selection
Cheapest US metros to run distribution
Low warehouse and trucking wages plus cheap power, for logistics.
Distribution margins are made of labor and energy. These metros (75k+ residents) score best on low warehouse and trucking wages and cheap commercial electricity.
Published by WhereToHQ research. Calculated from committed source data with no generated editorial text.
What the ranking shows
- Jonesboro, AR ranks first after the weighted criteria; its wage: warehouse worker is $31,330.
- Across the 15 published entries, wage: warehouse worker ranges from $31,310 to $35,080. The other columns show tradeoffs that the headline order cannot capture.
| # | City | Wage: Warehouse worker | Wage: Heavy truck driver | Commercial electricity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonesboro, AR80k | $31,330 | $47,670 | 10.2¢/kWh |
| 2 | Lafayette, LA122k | $31,310 | $49,450 | 10.5¢/kWh |
| 3 | Columbus, GA204k | $31,690 | $47,570 | 10.9¢/kWh |
| 4 | Fort Smith, AR90k | $32,050 | $47,580 | 10.2¢/kWh |
| 5 | Tuscaloosa, AL111k | $32,210 | $50,190 | 13.6¢/kWh |
| 6 | Abilene, TX128k | $34,200 | $54,720 | 8.6¢/kWh |
| 7 | Wichita Falls, TX103k | $34,180 | $50,600 | 8.6¢/kWh |
| 8 | El Paso, TX680k | $34,400 | $49,270 | 8.6¢/kWh |
| 9 | Brownsville, TX189k | $34,680 | $48,550 | 8.6¢/kWh |
| 10 | Lawton, OK91k | $34,560 | $47,280 | 8.9¢/kWh |
| 11 | Augusta, GA202k | $34,160 | $47,920 | 10.9¢/kWh |
| 12 | Jackson, MS147k | $34,060 | $58,100 | 12.3¢/kWh |
| 13 | Warner Robins, GA83k | $34,210 | $50,990 | 10.9¢/kWh |
| 14 | Pharr, TX80k | $35,080 | $47,040 | 8.6¢/kWh |
| 15 | Wichita, KS398k | $34,510 | $57,930 | 11.2¢/kWh |
Ranked from public data we track (US Census/ACS, BLS, EIA, FEMA, NOAA, Tax Foundation) and recomputed on every data refresh. Figures are estimates for comparison, not advice; open any city to see all facets.
Candidate rules: 75,000 or more residents. Ranking rule: weighted score using Wage: Warehouse worker (5), Commercial electricity (3), Cost of living index (2).
WhereToHQ loads at most the 500 largest eligible national candidates, or 300 candidates for a state list, before applying the published rules. Missing values are excluded from a direct sort or hard filter. In a weighted score, an unknown value is neutral rather than favorable.