PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Cleveland, TN

42.4
Life Score / 100
C
Grade (curved)
#296
of 387 metros
24%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Cleveland ranks #296 of 387 US metros, ahead of 24% - carried by its cost of living (86/100) and held back most by safety (3/100).

86
strongest: Cost of Living
68
then: Childcare
3
weakest: Safety
7
weighted dimensions

Where Cleveland sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

42 24th percentile higher than 24% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 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 Cleveland Life Score

Cleveland's composite score of 42.4 out of 100, a grade of C, places the metro at rank #296 of 387, ahead of 24% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Cost of Living (86/100) and Childcare (68/100), which pull the composite upward, while Safety (3/100) and Wages (10/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 88.1 (rent-RPP 60.3). BLS median salary $54,703, 36,510 jobs (Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,233/mo (studio $850).

FBI UCR (TN): 602 violent, 2058 property/100K. NCES: 15.3:1 ratio, 6.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,860/yr. EPA: 26 Superfund sites (TN). Ranks #293-#299 below.

Dimension detail

How Cleveland scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 86/100 (20%)
Wages 10/100 (20%)
Rent 60/100 (15%)
Safety 3/100 (15%)
Schools 50/100 (10%)
Childcare 68/100 (10%)
Environment 19/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

88.1
Cost Index (RPP)
$54,703
Avg Median Salary
$1,233
2BR Fair Market Rent
602
Violent Crime/100K (TN)
15.3:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,860
Infant Childcare/yr (TN)
26
Superfund Sites (TN)
36,510
Total Employment

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

Compare Cleveland With...

Cleveland vs Kingsport Compare → Cleveland vs Morristown Compare → Cleveland vs Memphis Compare → Cleveland vs Wildwood Compare → Cleveland vs Waterloo Compare → Cleveland vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Cleveland outranks 24% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#293 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN 42.5 C
#294 Corpus Christi, TX 42.6 C
#295 Merced, CA 42.8 C
#296 Cleveland, TN 42.4 C
#297 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 42.4 C
#298 Odessa, TX 42.4 C
#299 Rochester, NY 42.3 C

TN Metro Scores

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA B 53.9 Morristown, TN B- 49.3 Memphis, TN-MS-AR C+ 47.4 Jackson, TN C+ 47.3 Johnson City, TN C+ 47.1 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN C 42.5

Using Cleveland's Life Score

Cleveland 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 cost of living (86/100) and its weakest is safety (3/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Cleveland head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Cleveland 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 Cleveland's biggest strengths? ▼
Cleveland's strongest dimensions are Cost of Living (86/100), Childcare (68/100), Rent (60/100). Cost of Living is top-tier nationally.
What are Cleveland's weakest areas? ▼
Cleveland's lowest-scoring dimensions are Safety (3/100), Wages (10/100), Environment (19/100). Safety weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Cleveland compared to the national average? ▼
Cleveland's Regional Price Parity is 88.1 (11.9% less than national); rent RPP 60.3.
What is the average salary in Cleveland? ▼
Cleveland median salary: $54,703, 36,510 jobs. Top: Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Cleveland's 42.4/100 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.