PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Canton-Massillon, OH

54.3
Life Score / 100
B
Grade (curved)
#136
of 387 metros
65%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Canton ranks #136 of 387 US metros, ahead of 65% - carried by its rent (85/100) and held back most by environment (14/100).

85
strongest: Rent
80
then: Schools
14
weakest: Environment
7
weighted dimensions

Where Canton 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 Canton Life Score

Canton's composite score of 54.3 out of 100, a grade of B, places the metro at rank #136 of 387, ahead of 65% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Rent (85/100) and Schools (80/100), which pull the composite upward, while Environment (14/100) and Wages (23/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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: 18.2:1 ratio, 9.3% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,791/yr. EPA: 50 Superfund sites (OH). Ranks #133-#139 below.

Dimension detail

How Canton scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 78/100 (20%)
Wages 23/100 (20%)
Rent 85/100 (15%)
Safety 59/100 (15%)
Schools 80/100 (10%)
Childcare 33/100 (10%)
Environment 14/100 (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)
18.2:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$11,791
Infant Childcare/yr (OH)
50
Superfund Sites (OH)
155,600
Total Employment

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

Compare Canton With...

Canton vs Wheeling Compare → Canton vs Toledo Compare → Canton vs Youngstown Compare → Canton vs Wildwood Compare → Canton vs Waterloo Compare → Canton vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Canton outranks 65% of U.S. metros.

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

OH Metro Scores

Wheeling, WV-OH A+ 68.2 Toledo, OH A+ 66.3 Youngstown-Warren, OH A 65.8 Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH A 65.7 Sandusky, OH A- 61.4 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH A- 60.5

Using Canton's Life Score

Canton 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 (85/100) and its weakest is environment (14/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Canton head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Canton 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 Canton's biggest strengths? ▼
Canton's strongest dimensions are Rent (85/100), Schools (80/100), Cost of Living (78/100). Rent is top-tier nationally.
What are Canton's weakest areas? ▼
Canton's lowest-scoring dimensions are Environment (14/100), Wages (23/100), Childcare (33/100). Environment weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Canton compared to the national average? ▼
Canton's Regional Price Parity is 89.4 (10.6% less than national); rent RPP 58.1.
What is the average salary in Canton? ▼
Canton median salary: $60,078, 155,600 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Home Health and Personal Care Aides.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Canton'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.