Metro Life Score
Akron, OH
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 60th percentile of the national corpus.
- 52.0
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #156
- of 387 metros
- 60%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Akron is above-median composite Life Score — #156 of 387 (52.0/100, grade B, 60th percentile). Carried by schools at 89/100; held back most by environment at 4/100.
- 60th
- composite percentile
- #156
- of 387 peers
- 51st
- cost dimension percentile
- 55th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · signature composite
Akron: mid-curve composite with a readable shape
Akron is a mid-curve MID · SCHOOL-STRONG metro (composite #156, 52.0/100, 59th percentile). Cost MID (51st) · wages MID (55th). Strongest schools 89/100; weakest environment 4/100; dimension gap 85. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Akron, OH ranks #156 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #188 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 93.4 (rent-RPP 76.8). BLS median salary $64,986, 311,740 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, General and Operations Managers, Stockers and Order Fillers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,268/mo (studio $904).
FBI UCR (OH): 293 violent, 1545 property/100K. NCES: 17.4:1 ratio, 9.3% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,791/yr. EPA: 50 Superfund sites (OH).
Where Akron sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
52 60th percentile higher than 60% of 387 US metros
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 · August 2026
How the 52.0 is built
Akron's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Akron scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are OH state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Akron With...
Ranking Context
Akron outranks 60% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #153 | Bay City, MI | 52.1 | B |
| #154 | Wausau, WI | 52.2 | B |
| #155 | Kokomo, IN | 52.2 | B |
| #156 | Akron, OH | 52.0 | B |
| #157 | Pueblo, CO | 52.0 | B |
| #158 | Pittsburgh, PA | 51.9 | B |
| #159 | Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 51.8 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Akron, OH's quality rank (top 40% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 49% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
OH Metro Scores
Read with Akron
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Akron (MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Pueblo, CO
ABS(composite) peer at 52.0 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/MID.
Bay City, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 52.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/MID.
Pittsburgh, PA
ABS(composite) peer at 51.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/MID.
Fond du Lac, WI
ABS(composite) peer at 52.2 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/MID.
Athens-Clarke County, GA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 52/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Traverse City, MI (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 51/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Akron, OH relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Akron's middle-third Life Score
Akron scores 52.0/100 overall, but Schools (88.6) and Environment (3.6) sit 85.0 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Schools is the strongest of Akron's seven dimensions (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Environment is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Toledo is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Toledo
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.