PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ

37.3
Life Score / 100
D
Grade (curved)
#359
of 387 metros
7%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Atlantic City ranks #359 of 387 US metros, ahead of 7% - carried by its safety (82/100) and held back most by environment (5/100).

82
strongest: Safety
78
then: Wages
5
weakest: Environment
7
weighted dimensions

Where Atlantic City sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

37 7th percentile higher than 7% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Above this entry. 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 Atlantic City Life Score

Atlantic City's composite score of 37.3 out of 100, a grade of D, places the metro at rank #359 of 387, ahead of 7% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Safety (82/100) and Wages (78/100), which pull the composite upward, while Environment (5/100) and Schools (6/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 98.9 (rent-RPP 98.7). BLS median salary $73,017, 161,030 jobs (Waiters and Waitresses, Cashiers, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,867/mo (studio $1,346).

FBI UCR (NJ): 216 violent, 1396 property/100K. NCES: 11.8:1 ratio, 3.3% charter. DOL infant childcare $15,732/yr. EPA: 153 Superfund sites (NJ). Ranks #356-#362 below.

Dimension detail

How Atlantic City scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 25/100 (20%)
Wages 78/100 (20%)
Rent 11/100 (15%)
Safety 82/100 (15%)
Schools 6/100 (10%)
Childcare 15/100 (10%)
Environment 5/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

98.9
Cost Index (RPP)
$73,017
Avg Median Salary
$1,867
2BR Fair Market Rent
216
Violent Crime/100K (NJ)
11.8:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$15,732
Infant Childcare/yr (NJ)
153
Superfund Sites (NJ)
161,030
Total Employment

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

Compare Atlantic City With...

Atlantic City vs Vineland Compare → Atlantic City vs Trenton Compare → Atlantic City vs Philadelphia Compare → Atlantic City vs Wildwood Compare → Atlantic City vs Waterloo Compare → Atlantic City vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Atlantic City outranks 7% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#356 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 37.4 D
#357 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 37.5 D
#358 Napa, CA 37.6 D
#359 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 37.3 D
#360 Greeley, CO 37.2 D
#361 Albany, OR 36.9 D
#362 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 36.5 D

NJ Metro Scores

Vineland, NJ B- 49.4 Trenton-Princeton, NJ C+ 46.7 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD C 45.4 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ D 36.5 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ D 35.1

Using Atlantic City's Life Score

Atlantic City 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 safety (82/100) and its weakest is environment (5/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Atlantic City head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Atlantic City 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 Atlantic City's biggest strengths? ▼
Atlantic City's strongest dimensions are Safety (82/100), Wages (78/100), Cost of Living (25/100). Safety is top-tier nationally.
What are Atlantic City's weakest areas? ▼
Atlantic City's lowest-scoring dimensions are Environment (5/100), Schools (6/100), Rent (11/100). Environment weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Atlantic City compared to the national average? ▼
Atlantic City's Regional Price Parity is 98.9 (1.1% less than national); rent RPP 98.7.
What is the average salary in Atlantic City? ▼
Atlantic City median salary: $73,017, 161,030 jobs. Top: Waiters and Waitresses, Cashiers, Fast Food and Counter Workers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Atlantic City's 37.3/100 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.