PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Abilene, TX

42.1
Life Score / 100
C
Grade (curved)
#300
of 387 metros
22%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Abilene ranks #300 of 387 US metros, ahead of 22% - carried by its childcare (79/100) and held back most by environment (0/100).

79
strongest: Childcare
73
then: Cost of Living
0
weakest: Environment
7
weighted dimensions

Where Abilene sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

42 22th percentile higher than 22% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). This entry sits in this band. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Abilene Life Score

Abilene's composite score of 42.1 out of 100, a grade of C, places the metro at rank #300 of 387, ahead of 22% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (79/100) and Cost of Living (73/100), which pull the composite upward, while Environment (0/100) and Wages (15/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 90.4 (rent-RPP 73.8). BLS median salary $57,653, 68,490 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Customer Service Representatives, General and Operations Managers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,276/mo (studio $1,010).

FBI UCR (TX): 395 violent, 2058 property/100K. NCES: 14.7:1 ratio, 11.4% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,566/yr. EPA: 70 Superfund sites (TX). Ranks #297-#303 below.

Dimension detail

How Abilene scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 73/100 (20%)
Wages 15/100 (20%)
Rent 53/100 (15%)
Safety 36/100 (15%)
Schools 35/100 (10%)
Childcare 79/100 (10%)
Environment 0/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

90.4
Cost Index (RPP)
$57,653
Avg Median Salary
$1,276
2BR Fair Market Rent
395
Violent Crime/100K (TX)
14.7:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,566
Infant Childcare/yr (TX)
70
Superfund Sites (TX)
68,490
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Abilene With...

Abilene vs Texarkana Compare → Abilene vs Waco Compare → Abilene vs San Antonio Compare → Abilene vs Wildwood Compare → Abilene vs Waterloo Compare → Abilene vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Abilene outranks 22% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#297 Rochester, NY 42.3 C
#298 Odessa, TX 42.4 C
#299 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 42.4 C
#300 Abilene, TX 42.1 C
#301 Worcester, MA 42.1 C
#302 Bangor, ME 41.9 C
#303 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 41.9 C

TX Metro Scores

Texarkana, TX-AR A- 60.7 Waco, TX B+ 58.2 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX B+ 57.6 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX B 55.0 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX B 54.9 Wichita Falls, TX B 53.9

Using Abilene's Life Score

Abilene is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is childcare (79/100) and its weakest is environment (0/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Abilene head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Abilene lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Abilene's biggest strengths? ▼
Abilene's strongest dimensions are Childcare (79/100), Cost of Living (73/100), Rent (53/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Abilene's weakest areas? ▼
Abilene's lowest-scoring dimensions are Environment (0/100), Wages (15/100), Schools (35/100). Environment weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Abilene compared to the national average? ▼
Abilene's Regional Price Parity is 90.4 (9.6% less than national); rent RPP 73.8.
What is the average salary in Abilene? ▼
Abilene median salary: $57,653, 68,490 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Customer Service Representatives, General and Operations Managers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Abilene's 42.1/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.