Paducah composite
70.0 /100
Grade A+ · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Paducah vs Punta Gorda
Paducah, KY-IL and Punta Gorda, FL 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.
- 70.0
- Paducah Life Score
- A+
- Paducah grade
- 46.0
- Punta Gorda Life Score
- C+
- Punta Gorda grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Paducah scores higher on 4 (cost of living, wages, rent, childcare) and Punta Gorda on 3 (safety, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Paducah vs Punta Gorda 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.
◖ Paducah Punta Gorda ◗
cost of living
94
20
wages
22
19
rent
96
33
safety
77
84
schools
53
86
childcare
88
47
environment
68
73
Paducah and Punta Gorda differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Paducah has a cost-of-living index of 86.1 vs Punta Gorda's 100.5 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $62,516 in Paducah and $60,552 in Punta Gorda. A 2-bedroom averages $969/mo vs $1,470/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Paducah vs Punta Gorda Comparison
Paducah (KY) and Punta Gorda (FL) 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 86.1 for Paducah against 100.5 for Punta Gorda, a 14.4-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 $969/mo in Paducah and $1,470/mo in Punta Gorda, a $501/mo difference that compounds to $6,012 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $62,516 across 43,110 jobs in Paducah against $60,552 across 49,740 jobs in Punta Gorda. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Paducah carries the same local purchasing power as $116,775 in Punta Gorda - 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 225.5 per 100,000 residents in KY vs 210.3 in FL, with property-crime rates of 1397.1 and 1030.0 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: KY lists 1,395 public schools at a 15.2:1 student-teacher ratio, while FL lists 4,029 schools at 17.8:1, 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 $7,238/yr in the Paducah area versus $10,505/yr in Punta Gorda - 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, Paducah and Punta Gorda 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.
Punta Gorda composite
46.0 /100
Grade C+ · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
-14.4 pts
Paducah vs Punta Gorda BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$501 /mo
Punta Gorda priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Paducah
Paducah composite (Grade A+)
Punta Gorda
Punta Gorda composite (Grade C+)
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 | Paducah | Punta Gorda |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 86.1 | 100.5 |
| Goods | 96.0 | 96.2 |
| Services | 76.9 | 87.3 |
| Rents | 48.8 | 113.3 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Punta Gorda gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Paducah?
$
Equivalent in Punta Gorda:
$116,775
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Paducah: 86.1, Punta Gorda: 100.5, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Paducah | Punta Gorda |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $784/mo | $1,159/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $789/mo | $1,167/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $969/mo | $1,470/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,348/mo | $2,041/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,415/mo | $2,326/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Paducah | Punta Gorda |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $62,516 | $60,552 |
| Total Employment | 43,110 | 49,740 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Paducah (KY) | Punta Gorda (FL) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 225.5 | 210.3 |
| Property Crime | 1397.1 | 1030.0 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | KY | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 1,395 | 4,029 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 15.2:1 | 17.8:1 |
| Charter Schools | 0.0% | 17.9% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | KY | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $7,238/yr | $10,505/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $6,605/yr | $8,611/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $6,605/yr | $7,983/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | KY | FL |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 489 | 864 |
| Water Systems | 376 | 1,516 |
| Superfund Sites | 20 | 81 |
| Water Violations | 1,788 | 2,676 |
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 | Paducah | Punta Gorda |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 43.0 | 41.0 |
| Good Air Days | 74.0% | 76.6% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 1 days | N/A |
Punta Gorda air quality shown at state level. Paducah has metro-level data.
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | KY | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 1/100 | 9/100 |
| Total Violations | 80,482 | 184,355 |
| Health-Based Violations | 12,554 | 24,266 |
| Systems with Violations | 99.1% | 93.2% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | KY | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 687 | 612 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | KY | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 71/100 | 29/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 44.2 | 75.7 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 41.4 | 72.9 |
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 Paducah more expensive than Punta Gorda? ▼
Paducah has a cost of living index of 86.1 compared to Punta Gorda's 100.5 (national average = 100). Punta Gorda is 14.4 points above Paducah on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Paducah and Punta Gorda? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $969/mo in Paducah vs $1,470/mo in Punta Gorda, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $784/mo to $1,159/mo.
How do salaries compare between Paducah and Punta Gorda? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $62,516 in Paducah and $60,552 in Punta Gorda, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Paducah has the same purchasing power as $116,775 in Punta Gorda.
Is Paducah or Punta Gorda safer? ▼
At the state level, KY has a violent crime rate of 225.5 per 100,000 residents compared to FL's 210.3 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1397.1 vs 1030.0 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Paducah and Punta Gorda? ▼
KY has 1,395 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 15.2:1, while FL has 4,029 schools at 17.8:1. Charter schools make up 0.0% of KY schools vs 17.9% in FL. 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
Explore more
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