Metro Life Score
Bay City, MI
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 60th percentile of the national corpus.
- 52.1
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #155
- of 387 metros
- 60%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Bay City is above-median composite Life Score — #155 of 387 (52.1/100, grade B, 60th percentile). Carried by rent at 91/100; held back most by environment at 9/100.
- 60th
- composite percentile
- #155
- of 387 peers
- 63rd
- cost dimension percentile
- 31st
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · BALANCED · signature wages
Bay City: wage lag defines the peer set
Bay City is a MID-band metro where wages sit at only the 31st percentile (LOW) while cost is MID (63rd) and composite #155. Environment at 9/100 is the clearest drag; Rent (91/100) is the offset. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Bay City, MI ranks #155 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #143 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 91.9 (rent-RPP 66.7). BLS median salary $61,214, 27,180 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,030/mo (studio $809).
FBI UCR (MI): 431 violent, 1395 property/100K. NCES: 16.7:1 ratio, 10.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,444/yr. EPA: 90 Superfund sites (MI).
Where Bay City sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
52 60th percentile higher than 60% 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 52.1 is built
Bay City's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Bay City scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are MI state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Bay City With...
Ranking Context
Bay City outranks 60% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #152 | Wausau, WI | 52.2 | B |
| #153 | Kokomo, IN | 52.2 | B |
| #154 | Fond du Lac, WI | 52.2 | B |
| #155 | Bay City, MI | 52.1 | B |
| #156 | Akron, OH | 52.0 | B |
| #157 | Pueblo, CO | 52.0 | B |
| #158 | Pittsburgh, PA | 51.9 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Bay City, MI's quality rank (top 40% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 37% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
MI Metro Scores
Read with Bay City
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Bay City (MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Akron, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 52.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Fond du Lac, WI
ABS(composite) peer at 52.2 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Kokomo, IN
ABS(composite) peer at 52.2 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Pueblo, CO
ABS(composite) peer at 52.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Omaha, NE-IA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 63/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Midland, MI (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 63/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Bay City, MI relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Bay City's middle-third Life Score
Bay City scores 52.1/100 overall, but Rent (90.9) and Environment (9.3) sit 81.6 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Rent is the strongest of Bay City'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
- Environment is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Battle Creek is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Battle Creek
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.