PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Bangor, ME

41.9
Life Score / 100
C
Grade (curved)
#302
of 387 metros
22%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Bangor ranks #302 of 387 US metros, ahead of 22% - carried by its safety (92/100) and held back most by schools (0/100).

92
strongest: Safety
54
then: Wages
0
weakest: Schools
7
weighted dimensions

Where Bangor sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

42 22th percentile higher than 22% 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%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Bangor Life Score

Bangor's composite score of 41.9 out of 100, a grade of C, places the metro at rank #302 of 387, ahead of 22% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Safety (92/100) and Wages (54/100), which pull the composite upward, while Schools (0/100) and Environment (6/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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: 11.1:1 ratio, 2.3% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,325/yr. EPA: 16 Superfund sites (ME). Ranks #299-#305 below.

Dimension detail

How Bangor scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 35/100 (20%)
Wages 54/100 (20%)
Rent 39/100 (15%)
Safety 92/100 (15%)
Schools 0/100 (10%)
Childcare 37/100 (10%)
Environment 6/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

96.5
Cost Index (RPP)
$65,577
Avg Median Salary
$1,392
2BR Fair Market Rent
102
Violent Crime/100K (ME)
11.1:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$11,325
Infant Childcare/yr (ME)
16
Superfund Sites (ME)
66,130
Total Employment

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

Compare Bangor With...

Bangor vs Lewiston Compare → Bangor vs Portland Compare → Bangor vs Wildwood Compare → Bangor vs Waterloo Compare → Bangor vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Bangor outranks 22% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#299 Worcester, MA 42.1 C
#300 Abilene, TX 42.1 C
#301 Rochester, NY 42.3 C
#302 Bangor, ME 41.9 C
#303 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 41.9 C
#304 Hinesville, GA 41.9 C
#305 Kankakee, IL 41.9 C

ME Metro Scores

Lewiston-Auburn, ME C+ 46.8 Portland-South Portland, ME C 45.5

Using Bangor's Life Score

Bangor 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 (92/100) and its weakest is schools (0/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Bangor head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Bangor 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 Bangor's biggest strengths? ▼
Bangor's strongest dimensions are Safety (92/100), Wages (54/100), Rent (39/100). Safety is top-tier nationally.
What are Bangor's weakest areas? ▼
Bangor's lowest-scoring dimensions are Schools (0/100), Environment (6/100), Cost of Living (35/100). Schools weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Bangor compared to the national average? ▼
Bangor's Regional Price Parity is 96.5 (3.5% less than national); rent RPP 77.7.
What is the average salary in Bangor? ▼
Bangor median salary: $65,577, 66,130 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Bangor's 41.9/100 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.