Metro Life Score
Altoona, PA
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 62nd percentile of the national corpus.
- 52.4
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #148
- of 387 metros
- 62%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Altoona is above-median composite Life Score — #148 of 387 (52.4/100, grade B, 62nd percentile). Carried by safety at 77/100; held back most by wages at 10/100.
- 62nd
- composite percentile
- #148
- of 387 peers
- 77th
- cost dimension percentile
- 10th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SAFE-LED · signature wages
Altoona: wage lag defines the peer set
Altoona is a MID-band metro where wages sit at only the 10th percentile (LOW) while cost is CHEAP (77th) and composite #148. Wages at 10/100 is the clearest drag; Safety (77/100) is the offset. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Altoona, PA ranks #148 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #90 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 89.5 (rent-RPP 55.0). BLS median salary $57,335, 52,800 jobs (Retail Salespersons, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,138/mo (studio $802).
FBI UCR (PA): 250 violent, 1457 property/100K. NCES: 13.0:1 ratio, 6.0% charter. EPA: 127 Superfund sites (PA).
Where Altoona sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
52 62nd percentile higher than 62% 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 52.4 is built
Altoona's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Altoona scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are PA state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Altoona With...
Ranking Context
Altoona outranks 62% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #145 | Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA | 52.5 | B |
| #146 | Fayetteville, NC | 52.5 | B |
| #147 | Joplin, MO-KS | 52.6 | B |
| #148 | Altoona, PA | 52.4 | B |
| #149 | Farmington, NM | 52.4 | B |
| #150 | Rockford, IL | 52.4 | B |
| #151 | Jackson, MI | 52.3 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Altoona, PA's quality rank (top 38% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 23% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
PA Metro Scores
Read with Altoona
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Altoona (MID · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Farmington, NM
ABS(composite) peer at 52.4 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Rockford, IL
ABS(composite) peer at 52.4 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Fayetteville, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 52.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Jackson, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 52.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Wichita Falls, TX (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 77/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Longview, TX (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 77/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Altoona, PA relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Altoona's middle-third Life Score
Altoona scores 52.4/100 overall, but Safety (77.2) and Wages (10.4) sit 66.8 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Altoona's seven dimensions (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Wages is the weakest (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Johnstown is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Johnstown
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.