PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Battle Creek, MI

54.3
Life Score / 100
B
Grade (curved)
#135
of 387 metros
65%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Battle Creek ranks #135 of 387 US metros, ahead of 65% - carried by its childcare (83/100) and held back most by environment (7/100).

83
strongest: Childcare
74
then: Schools
7
weakest: Environment
7
weighted dimensions

Where Battle Creek sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

54 65th percentile higher than 65% 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%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Battle Creek Life Score

Battle Creek's composite score of 54.3 out of 100, a grade of B, places the metro at rank #135 of 387, ahead of 65% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (83/100) and Schools (74/100), which pull the composite upward, while Environment (7/100) and Safety (20/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 90.5 (rent-RPP 61.0). BLS median salary $65,204, 48,040 jobs (Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,176/mo (studio $833).

FBI UCR (MI): 431 violent, 1395 property/100K. NCES: 17.5:1 ratio, 10.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,444/yr. EPA: 90 Superfund sites (MI). Ranks #132-#138 below.

Dimension detail

How Battle Creek scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 72/100 (20%)
Wages 51/100 (20%)
Rent 68/100 (15%)
Safety 20/100 (15%)
Schools 74/100 (10%)
Childcare 83/100 (10%)
Environment 7/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

90.5
Cost Index (RPP)
$65,204
Avg Median Salary
$1,176
2BR Fair Market Rent
431
Violent Crime/100K (MI)
17.5:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,444
Infant Childcare/yr (MI)
90
Superfund Sites (MI)
48,040
Total Employment

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

Compare Battle Creek With...

Battle Creek vs Midland Compare → Battle Creek vs Saginaw Compare → Battle Creek vs Niles Compare → Battle Creek vs Wildwood Compare → Battle Creek vs Waterloo Compare → Battle Creek vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Battle Creek outranks 65% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#132 Yakima, WA 54.4 B
#133 Monroe, MI 54.4 B
#134 Birmingham, AL 54.5 B
#135 Battle Creek, MI 54.3 B
#136 Albany, GA 54.3 B
#137 Canton-Massillon, OH 54.3 B
#138 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 54.3 B

MI Metro Scores

Midland, MI A 62.6 Saginaw, MI A- 59.9 Niles, MI B+ 56.5 Jackson, MI B+ 56.2 Flint, MI B+ 56.1 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI B+ 55.6

Using Battle Creek's Life Score

Battle Creek 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 childcare (83/100) and its weakest is environment (7/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Battle Creek head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Battle Creek 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 Battle Creek's biggest strengths? ▼
Battle Creek's strongest dimensions are Childcare (83/100), Schools (74/100), Cost of Living (72/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Battle Creek's weakest areas? ▼
Battle Creek's lowest-scoring dimensions are Environment (7/100), Safety (20/100), Wages (51/100). Environment weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Battle Creek compared to the national average? ▼
Battle Creek's Regional Price Parity is 90.5 (9.5% less than national); rent RPP 61.0.
What is the average salary in Battle Creek? ▼
Battle Creek median salary: $65,204, 48,040 jobs. Top: Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Battle Creek's 54.3/100 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.