Dalton composite
56.9 /100
Grade B+ · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Dalton vs Valdosta
Dalton, GA and Valdosta, GA side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 56.9
- Dalton Life Score
- B+
- Dalton grade
- 57.7
- Valdosta Life Score
- B+
- Valdosta grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Dalton scores higher on 4 (wages, rent, safety, childcare) and Valdosta on 3 (cost of living, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Dalton vs Valdosta across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Dalton Valdosta ◗
cost of living
75
85
wages
24
4
rent
92
65
safety
55
53
schools
33
34
childcare
96
94
environment
22
92
Dalton and Valdosta differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Dalton has a cost-of-living index of 89.8 vs Valdosta's 88.3 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $61,662 in Dalton and $53,912 in Valdosta. A 2-bedroom averages $1,009/mo vs $1,192/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Dalton vs Valdosta Comparison
Dalton (GA) and Valdosta (GA) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 89.8 for Dalton against 88.3 for Valdosta, a 1.6-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,009/mo in Dalton and $1,192/mo in Valdosta, a $183/mo difference that compounds to $2,196 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $61,662 across 59,390 jobs in Dalton against $53,912 across 47,550 jobs in Valdosta. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Dalton carries the same local purchasing power as $98,249 in Valdosta - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 299.6 per 100,000 residents in GA vs 299.6 in GA, with property-crime rates of 1567.1 and 1567.1 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: GA lists 2,315 public schools at a 14.4:1 student-teacher ratio, while GA lists 2,315 schools at 14.4:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $6,591/yr in the Dalton area versus $6,591/yr in Valdosta - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Dalton and Valdosta are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Valdosta composite
57.7 /100
Grade B+ · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
1.6 pts
Dalton vs Valdosta BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$183 /mo
Valdosta priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Dalton
Dalton composite (Grade B+)
Valdosta
Valdosta composite (Grade B+)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Dalton | Valdosta |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 89.8 | 88.3 |
| Goods | 96.3 | 96.3 |
| Services | 88.8 | 87.8 |
| Rents | 63.3 | 58.8 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Valdosta gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Dalton?
$
Equivalent in Valdosta:
$98,249
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Dalton: 89.8, Valdosta: 88.3, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Dalton | Valdosta |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $726/mo | $915/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $827/mo | $921/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,009/mo | $1,192/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,403/mo | $1,583/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,687/mo | $1,915/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Dalton | Valdosta |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $61,662 | $53,912 |
| Total Employment | 59,390 | 47,550 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Dalton (GA) | Valdosta (GA) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 299.6 | 299.6 |
| Property Crime | 1567.1 | 1567.1 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | GA | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 2,315 | 2,315 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 14.4:1 | 14.4:1 |
| Charter Schools | 4.2% | 4.2% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | GA | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $6,591/yr | $6,591/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $6,153/yr | $6,153/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $6,034/yr | $6,034/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | GA | GA |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 867 | 867 |
| Water Systems | 1,715 | 1,715 |
| Superfund Sites | 23 | 23 |
| Water Violations | 2,663 | 2,663 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Dalton | Valdosta |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 41.0 | 44.0 |
| Good Air Days | 84.5% | 62.0% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 0 days | 2 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | GA | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 10/100 | 10/100 |
| Total Violations | 108,966 | 108,966 |
| Health-Based Violations | 12,032 | 12,032 |
| Systems with Violations | 92.1% | 92.1% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | GA | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 39/100 | 39/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 61.1% | 61.1% |
| HPSA Designations | 370 | 370 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | GA | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 77/100 | 77/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 39.5 | 39.5 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 37.6 | 37.6 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dalton more expensive than Valdosta? ▼
Dalton has a cost of living index of 89.8 compared to Valdosta's 88.3 (national average = 100). Dalton is 1.6 points above Valdosta on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Dalton and Valdosta? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,009/mo in Dalton vs $1,192/mo in Valdosta, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $726/mo to $915/mo.
How do salaries compare between Dalton and Valdosta? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $61,662 in Dalton and $53,912 in Valdosta, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Dalton has the same purchasing power as $98,249 in Valdosta.
Is Dalton or Valdosta safer? ▼
At the state level, GA has a violent crime rate of 299.6 per 100,000 residents compared to GA's 299.6 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1567.1 vs 1567.1 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Dalton and Valdosta? ▼
GA has 2,315 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 14.4:1, while GA has 2,315 schools at 14.4:1. Charter schools make up 4.2% of GA schools vs 4.2% in GA. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
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Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial