Metro Life Score
Bangor, ME
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B-, 50th percentile of the national corpus.
- 49.7
- Life Score / 100
- B-
- Grade (curved)
- #194
- of 387 metros
- 50%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Bangor is above-median composite Life Score — #194 of 387 (49.7/100, grade B-, 50th percentile). Carried by safety at 100/100; held back most by schools at 0/100.
- 50th
- composite percentile
- #194
- of 387 peers
- 35th
- cost dimension percentile
- 58th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SAFE-LED · signature cost
Bangor: mid-pack cost with a distinct Life Score shape
Bangor sits mid-pack on cost (≈35th percentile, DEAR) with composite #194 of 387 (49.7/100). Profile SAFE-LED; wages mark MID. Strongest safety 100/100; weakest schools 0/100. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Bangor, ME ranks #194 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #252 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 96.5 (rent-RPP 77.7). BLS median salary $65,577, 66,130 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,392/mo (studio $982).
FBI UCR (ME): 102 violent, 1149 property/100K. NCES: 10.8:1 ratio, 2.3% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,325/yr. EPA: 16 Superfund sites (ME).
Where Bangor sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
50 50th percentile higher than 50% 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 49.7 is built
Bangor's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Bangor scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are ME state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Bangor With...
Ranking Context
Bangor outranks 50% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #191 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 49.8 | B- |
| #192 | Fort Smith, AR-OK | 49.8 | B- |
| #193 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 49.8 | B- |
| #194 | Bangor, ME | 49.7 | B- |
| #195 | Bloomington, IN | 49.7 | B- |
| #196 | Corpus Christi, TX | 49.7 | B- |
| #197 | Harrisonburg, VA | 49.7 | B- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Bangor, ME's quality rank (top 50% highest-quality) and affordability rank (bottom 35% least affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
ME Metro Scores
Read with Bangor
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Bangor (MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Bloomington, IN
ABS(composite) peer at 49.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID.
Corpus Christi, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 49.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID.
Harrisonburg, VA
ABS(composite) peer at 49.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID.
Springfield, MO
ABS(composite) peer at 49.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID.
Asheville, NC (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 35/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Gainesville, FL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 35/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Bangor, ME relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Bangor's middle-third Life Score
Bangor scores 49.7/100 overall, but Safety (100.0) and Schools (0.0) sit 100.0 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Bangor'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
- 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
- Portland is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Portland
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.