PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Binghamton, NY

46.9
Life Score / 100
C+
Grade (curved)
#239
of 387 metros
38%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Binghamton ranks #239 of 387 US metros, ahead of 38% - carried by its rent (80/100) and held back most by schools (1/100).

80
strongest: Rent
74
then: Wages
1
weakest: Schools
7
weighted dimensions

Where Binghamton sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

47 38th percentile higher than 38% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Binghamton Life Score

Binghamton's composite score of 46.9 out of 100, a grade of C+, places the metro at rank #239 of 387, ahead of 38% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Rent (80/100) and Wages (74/100), which pull the composite upward, while Schools (1/100) and Environment (9/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 92.9 (rent-RPP 69.7). BLS median salary $70,400, 89,220 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,103/mo (studio $783).

FBI UCR (NY): 380 violent, 1661 property/100K. NCES: 11.8:1 ratio, 7.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $13,869/yr. EPA: 122 Superfund sites (NY). Ranks #236-#242 below.

Dimension detail

How Binghamton scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 55/100 (20%)
Wages 74/100 (20%)
Rent 80/100 (15%)
Safety 39/100 (15%)
Schools 1/100 (10%)
Childcare 21/100 (10%)
Environment 9/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

92.9
Cost Index (RPP)
$70,400
Avg Median Salary
$1,103
2BR Fair Market Rent
380
Violent Crime/100K (NY)
11.8:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$13,869
Infant Childcare/yr (NY)
122
Superfund Sites (NY)
89,220
Total Employment

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

Compare Binghamton With...

Binghamton vs Utica Compare → Binghamton vs Watertown Compare → Binghamton vs Syracuse Compare → Binghamton vs Wildwood Compare → Binghamton vs Waterloo Compare → Binghamton vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Binghamton outranks 38% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#236 Reading, PA 47.0 C+
#237 Harrisonburg, VA 47.0 C+
#238 Bloomington, IN 47.0 C+
#239 Binghamton, NY 46.9 C+
#240 Coeur d'Alene, ID 46.9 C+
#241 Syracuse, NY 46.9 C+
#242 Lewiston-Auburn, ME 46.8 C+

NY Metro Scores

Utica-Rome, NY B 52.5 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY B 52.5 Syracuse, NY C+ 46.9 Rochester, NY C 42.3 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY C- 41.0 Elmira, NY C- 39.9

Using Binghamton's Life Score

Binghamton 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 rent (80/100) and its weakest is schools (1/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Binghamton head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Binghamton 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 Binghamton's biggest strengths? ▼
Binghamton's strongest dimensions are Rent (80/100), Wages (74/100), Cost of Living (55/100). Rent is top-tier nationally.
What are Binghamton's weakest areas? ▼
Binghamton's lowest-scoring dimensions are Schools (1/100), Environment (9/100), Childcare (21/100). Schools weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Binghamton compared to the national average? ▼
Binghamton's Regional Price Parity is 92.9 (7.1% less than national); rent RPP 69.7.
What is the average salary in Binghamton? ▼
Binghamton median salary: $70,400, 89,220 jobs. Top: Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Binghamton's 46.9/100 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.