Metro Life Score
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
Top-quartile composite Life Score — grade B+, 81st percentile of the national corpus.
- 58.1
- Life Score / 100
- B+
- Grade (curved)
- #73
- of 387 metros
- 81%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Augusta-Richmond County is top-quartile composite Life Score — #73 of 387 (58.1/100, grade B+, 81st percentile). Carried by childcare at 97/100; held back most by schools at 33/100.
- 81st
- composite percentile
- #73
- of 387 peers
- 64th
- cost dimension percentile
- 53rd
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · BALANCED · signature composite
Augusta-Richmond County: top-third composite Life Score
Augusta-Richmond County clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#73 of 387, 58.1/100, grade B+, 81st percentile). Stamps UPPER · BALANCED; cost MID (64th) · wages MID (53rd). Childcare at 97/100 carries the lead; Schools (33/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC ranks #73 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #141 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 91.9 (rent-RPP 70.6). BLS median salary $64,684, 219,950 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,261/mo (studio $939).
FBI UCR (GA): 300 violent, 1567 property/100K. NCES: 13.8:1 ratio, 4.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $6,591/yr. EPA: 23 Superfund sites (GA).
Where Augusta-Richmond County sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
58 Top 19% higher than 81% 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 58.1 is built
Augusta-Richmond County's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Augusta-Richmond County scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are GA state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Augusta-Richmond County With...
Ranking Context
Augusta-Richmond County outranks 81% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #70 | Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 58.2 | B+ |
| #71 | Lawrence, KS | 58.4 | B+ |
| #72 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 58.5 | B+ |
| #73 | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 58.1 | B+ |
| #74 | Gadsden, AL | 58.1 | B+ |
| #75 | Jackson, MS | 58.1 | B+ |
| #76 | Enid, OK * | 58.0 | B+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC is top 19% highest-quality nationally but only top 36% most affordable among its composite-quality peers -- its Life Score is earned mostly outside the cost dimension, not through being a budget option.
GA Metro Scores
Read with Augusta-Richmond County
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Augusta-Richmond County (UPPER · BALANCED · MID/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Gadsden, AL
ABS(composite) peer at 58.1 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Jackson, MS
ABS(composite) peer at 58.1 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Enid, OK *
ABS(composite) peer at 58.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
ABS(composite) peer at 58.2 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Amarillo, TX (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 64/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Omaha, NE-IA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 63/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · BALANCED · MID/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Augusta-Richmond County's top-third Life Score
Augusta-Richmond County scores 58.1/100 overall, but Childcare (97.1) and Schools (33.4) sit 63.6 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Childcare is the strongest of Augusta-Richmond County'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
- Schools is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Dalton is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Dalton
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.