Metro Life Score
Albany, OR
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C, 32nd percentile of the national corpus.
- 45.4
- Life Score / 100
- C
- Grade (curved)
- #265
- of 387 metros
- 32%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Albany is below-median composite Life Score — #265 of 387 (45.4/100, grade C, 32nd percentile). Carried by schools at 75/100; held back most by cost of living at 15/100.
- 32nd
- composite percentile
- #265
- of 387 peers
- 14th
- cost dimension percentile
- 68th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · signature cost
Albany: cost pressure is the outlier
Albany is a LOWER-band metro where cost sits only at the 14th percentile (CEILING) — the clearest outlier vs wages at the 68th and composite #265. Cost of Living (15/100) is the main drag; Schools (75/100) keeps the floor. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Albany, OR ranks #265 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #331 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 102.1 (rent-RPP 101.1). BLS median salary $67,935, 42,220 jobs (Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Stockers and Order Fillers, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,500/mo (studio $1,034).
FBI UCR (OR): 335 violent, 2410 property/100K. NCES: 17.6:1 ratio, 10.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $12,639/yr. EPA: 21 Superfund sites (OR).
Where Albany sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
45 32nd percentile higher than 32% 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
Dimension detail
How Albany scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are OR state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Albany With...
Ranking Context
Albany outranks 32% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #262 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 45.5 | C |
| #263 | Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 45.5 | C+ |
| #264 | Spartanburg, SC | 45.7 | C+ |
| #265 | Albany, OR | 45.4 | C |
| #266 | Eugene-Springfield, OR | 45.4 | C |
| #267 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 45.4 | C |
| #268 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | 45.4 | C |
OR Metro Scores
Read with Albany
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Albany (LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Eugene-Springfield, OR
ABS(composite) peer at 45.4 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH.
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
ABS(composite) peer at 45.4 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH.
Raleigh-Cary, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 45.4 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH.
Traverse City, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 45.4 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH.
Fresno, CA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 14/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CEILING vs this metro's CEILING.
Portland-South Portland, ME (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 15/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CEILING vs this metro's CEILING.
Albany, OR relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.