Metro Life Score
Bend, OR
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C+, 38th percentile of the national corpus.
- 46.8
- Life Score / 100
- C+
- Grade (curved)
- #241
- of 387 metros
- 38%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Bend is below-median composite Life Score — #241 of 387 (46.8/100, grade C+, 38th percentile). Carried by schools at 75/100; held back most by cost of living at 10/100.
- 38th
- composite percentile
- #241
- of 387 peers
- 10th
- cost dimension percentile
- 74th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · signature cost
Bend: cost pressure is the outlier
Bend is a MID-band metro where cost sits only at the 10th percentile (CEILING) — the clearest outlier vs wages at the 74th and composite #241. Cost of Living (10/100) is the main drag; Schools (75/100) keeps the floor. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Bend, OR ranks #241 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #348 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 103.6 (rent-RPP 110.0). BLS median salary $69,802, 102,030 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,385/mo (studio $1,049).
FBI UCR (OR): 335 violent, 2410 property/100K. NCES: 17.6:1 ratio, 10.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $12,639/yr. EPA: 21 Superfund sites (OR).
Where Bend sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
47 38th percentile higher than 38% 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
Dimension detail
How Bend scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are OR state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Bend With...
Ranking Context
Bend outranks 38% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #238 | Kansas City, MO-KS | 46.9 | C+ |
| #239 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 47.0 | C+ |
| #240 | Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 47.0 | C+ |
| #241 | Bend, OR | 46.8 | C+ |
| #242 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 46.8 | C+ |
| #243 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 46.7 | C+ |
| #244 | Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL | 46.5 | C+ |
OR Metro Scores
Read with Bend
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Bend (MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
ABS(composite) peer at 46.8 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH.
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
ABS(composite) peer at 46.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH.
Kansas City, MO-KS
ABS(composite) peer at 46.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH.
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV
ABS(composite) peer at 47.0 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH.
Salem, OR (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 10/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CEILING vs this metro's CEILING.
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 10/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CEILING vs this metro's CEILING.
Bend, OR relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.