Metro Life Score
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 65th percentile of the national corpus.
- 53.2
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #135
- of 387 metros
- 65%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Cincinnati is above-median composite Life Score — #135 of 387 (53.2/100, grade B, 65th percentile). Carried by schools at 89/100; held back most by environment at 4/100.
- 65th
- composite percentile
- #135
- of 387 peers
- 41st
- cost dimension percentile
- 80th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · signature wages
Cincinnati: pay power is the signature
Cincinnati stamps UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG with wages at the 80th percentile of the metro corpus (HIGH) — ahead of its cost mark (MID, 41st) and composite #135. Schools (89/100) amplifies the lead; Environment (4/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN ranks #135 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #227 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 95.4 (rent-RPP 87.6). BLS median salary $71,458, 1,092,010 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, General and Operations Managers, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,353/mo (studio $958).
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 Cincinnati sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
53 65th percentile higher than 65% 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 53.2 is built
Cincinnati's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Cincinnati scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
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 Cincinnati With...
Ranking Context
Cincinnati outranks 65% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #132 | El Paso, TX | 53.3 | B |
| #133 | Killeen-Temple, TX | 53.4 | B |
| #134 | Green Bay, WI | 53.4 | B |
| #135 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 53.2 | B |
| #136 | St. Louis, MO-IL | 53.1 | B |
| #137 | Binghamton, NY | 53.0 | B |
| #138 | Brunswick-St. Simons, GA | 53.0 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN is top 35% highest-quality nationally but only bottom 42% least affordable among its composite-quality peers -- its Life Score is earned mostly outside the cost dimension, not through being a budget option.
OH Metro Scores
Read with Cincinnati
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Cincinnati (UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
El Paso, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 53.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH.
St. Louis, MO-IL
ABS(composite) peer at 53.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH.
Green Bay, WI
ABS(composite) peer at 53.4 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH.
Killeen-Temple, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 53.4 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH.
Gettysburg, PA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 41/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Ocala, FL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 42/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Cincinnati's middle-third Life Score
Cincinnati scores 53.2/100 overall, but Schools (89.1) and Environment (4.1) 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 Cincinnati'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 middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.