Metro Life Score

Canton-Massillon, OH

Above-median composite Life Score — grade B+, 74th percentile of the national corpus.

55.5
Life Score / 100
B+
Grade (curved)
#102
of 387 metros
74%
composite percentile
View your shortlist

Data updated August 2026

The verdict

Canton-Massillon is above-median composite Life Score — #102 of 387 (55.5/100, grade B+, 74th percentile). Carried by schools at 89/100; held back most by environment at 4/100.

74th
composite percentile
#102
of 387 peers
78th
cost dimension percentile
25th
wages dimension percentile

Life Score shape · UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · signature cost

Canton-Massillon: affordability leads the Life Score story

Canton-Massillon is a UPPER-band metro whose cost dimension sits at the 78th percentile of 387 US metros (CHEAP) while composite is #102 (55.5/100, grade B+). Schools at 89/100 carries the upside; Environment at 4/100 is the residual drag. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Canton-Massillon, OH ranks #102 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #87 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.

BEA RPP 89.4 (rent-RPP 58.1). BLS median salary $60,078, 155,600 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Home Health and Personal Care Aides). HUD 2BR FMR $1,086/mo (studio $749).

FBI UCR (OH): 293 violent, 1545 property/100K. NCES: 17.4:1 ratio, 9.3% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,791/yr. EPA: 50 Superfund sites (OH).

Where Canton-Massillon sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

56 74th percentile higher than 74% of 387 US metros

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 · August 2026

How the 55.5 is built

Canton-Massillon's Life Score, decomposed

Dimension detail

How Canton-Massillon scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 78/100 (20%) Above average
Wages 25/100 (20%) Below average
Rent 85/100 (15%) Above average
Safety 65/100 (15%) Average
Schools 89/100 (10%) Above average
Childcare 33/100 (10%) Average
Environment 4/100 (10%) Bottom 10%

Key Data Points

89.4
Cost Index (RPP)
$60,078
Avg Median Salary
$1,086
2BR Fair Market Rent
293
Violent Crime/100K (OH)
17.4:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$11,791
Infant Childcare/yr (OH)
50
Superfund Sites (OH)
155,600
Total Employment

Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are OH state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.

Compare Canton-Massillon With...

Ranking Context

Canton-Massillon outranks 74% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#99 Wichita, KS 55.6 B+
#100 Lima, OH 55.6 B+
#101 Muncie, IN 55.7 B+
#102 Canton-Massillon, OH 55.5 B+
#103 Battle Creek, MI 55.5 B+
#104 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH 55.5 B+
#105 Tuscaloosa, AL 55.5 B+

Quality vs. Affordability

Canton-Massillon, OH's quality rank (top 26% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 22% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.

Canton-Massillon, OH (highlighted) among its 12 nearest composite-Life-Score peers, out of 387 tracked metros nationally. Crosshairs mark this peer neighborhood's own median composite score and cost-of-living score. Cost-of-living score is already inverted so higher = more affordable. 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 12 entities by Composite Life Score (X) and Cost-of-living score (higher = more affordable) (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. High quality, affordableAffordable, lower qualityHigh quality, pricierLower quality, pricier 5555.255.455.655.856 5060708090100 Composite Life Score Cost-of-living score (higher = more affordable) Composite Life Score vs. cost-of-living score Montgomery, AL-55.9, 75.9Montgomery, ALLubbock, TX-55.8, 67.6Lubbock, TXMuncie, IN-55.7, 85.8Muncie, INLima, OH-55.6, 76.2Lima, OHWichita, KS-55.6, 80.8Wichita, KSBattle Creek, MI-55.5, 72Battle Creek, MICanton-Massillon, OH-55.5, 77.7Canton-Massillon, OHDayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH-55.5, 57.3Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OHTuscaloosa, AL-55.5, 88.1Tuscaloosa, ALLa Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN-55.4, 64.5La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MNRome, GA-55.4, 74.4Rome, GALaredo, TX-55.2, 91.7Laredo, TX
Canton-Massillon, OH (highlighted) among its 12 nearest composite-Life-Score peers, out of 387 tracked metros nationally. Crosshairs mark this peer neighborhood's own median composite score and cost-of-living score. Cost-of-living score is already inverted so higher = more affordable.

OH Metro Scores

Read with Canton-Massillon

Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Canton-Massillon (UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · CHEAP/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.

Using Canton-Massillon's top-third Life Score

Canton-Massillon scores 55.5/100 overall, but Schools (88.9) and Environment (3.9) sit 85.0 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.

  • Schools is the strongest of Canton-Massillon's seven dimensions (weighted 10% 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
  • Toledo is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Toledo

A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Canton-Massillon Life Score 55.5/100 · signature cost · retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare