PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Albany, GA

54.3
Life Score / 100
B
Grade (curved)
#134
of 387 metros
65%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Albany ranks #134 of 387 US metros, ahead of 65% - carried by its childcare (98/100) and held back most by environment (1/100).

98
strongest: Childcare
89
then: Cost of Living
1
weakest: Environment
7
weighted dimensions

Where Albany sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

54 65th percentile higher than 65% 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%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Albany Life Score

Albany's composite score of 54.3 out of 100, a grade of B, places the metro at rank #134 of 387, ahead of 65% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (98/100) and Cost of Living (89/100), which pull the composite upward, while Environment (1/100) and Wages (18/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 87.7 (rent-RPP 54.6). BLS median salary $58,830, 49,030 jobs (Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand). HUD 2BR FMR $1,129/mo (studio $966).

FBI UCR (GA): 300 violent, 1567 property/100K. NCES: 14.4:1 ratio, 4.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $6,591/yr. EPA: 23 Superfund sites (GA). Ranks #131-#137 below.

Dimension detail

How Albany scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 89/100 (20%)
Wages 18/100 (20%)
Rent 76/100 (15%)
Safety 56/100 (15%)
Schools 31/100 (10%)
Childcare 98/100 (10%)
Environment 1/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

87.7
Cost Index (RPP)
$58,830
Avg Median Salary
$1,129
2BR Fair Market Rent
300
Violent Crime/100K (GA)
14.4:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$6,591
Infant Childcare/yr (GA)
23
Superfund Sites (GA)
49,030
Total Employment

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

Compare Albany With...

Albany vs Valdosta Compare → Albany vs Dalton Compare → Albany vs Warner Robins Compare → Albany vs Wildwood Compare → Albany vs Waterloo Compare → Albany vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Albany outranks 65% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#131 Yakima, WA 54.4 B
#132 Monroe, MI 54.4 B
#133 Birmingham, AL 54.5 B
#134 Albany, GA 54.3 B
#135 Battle Creek, MI 54.3 B
#136 Canton-Massillon, OH 54.3 B
#137 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 54.3 B

GA Metro Scores

Valdosta, GA B+ 57.7 Dalton, GA B+ 56.9 Warner Robins, GA B+ 55.6 Rome, GA B+ 55.5 Columbus, GA-AL B 55.1 Macon-Bibb County, GA B 54.0

Using Albany's Life Score

Albany 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 (98/100) and its weakest is environment (1/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Albany head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Albany 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 Albany's biggest strengths? ▼
Albany's strongest dimensions are Childcare (98/100), Cost of Living (89/100), Rent (76/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Albany's weakest areas? ▼
Albany's lowest-scoring dimensions are Environment (1/100), Wages (18/100), Schools (31/100). Environment weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Albany compared to the national average? ▼
Albany's Regional Price Parity is 87.7 (12.3% less than national); rent RPP 54.6.
What is the average salary in Albany? ▼
Albany median salary: $58,830, 49,030 jobs. Top: Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Albany's 54.3/100 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.