Metro Life Score
Columbus, GA-AL
Top-quartile composite Life Score — grade A-, 82nd percentile of the national corpus.
- 58.5
- Life Score / 100
- A-
- Grade (curved)
- #68
- of 387 metros
- 82%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Columbus is top-quartile composite Life Score — #68 of 387 (58.5/100, grade A-, 82nd percentile). Carried by childcare at 96/100; held back most by wages at 19/100.
- 82nd
- composite percentile
- #68
- of 387 peers
- 78th
- cost dimension percentile
- 19th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · BALANCED · signature composite
Columbus: top-third composite Life Score
Columbus clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#68 of 387, 58.5/100, grade A-, 82nd percentile). Stamps UPPER · BALANCED; cost CHEAP (78th) · wages LOW (19th). Childcare at 96/100 carries the lead; Wages (19/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Columbus, GA-AL ranks #68 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #84 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 89.3 (rent-RPP 61.2). BLS median salary $59,133, 107,760 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,088/mo (studio $895).
FBI UCR (GA): 300 violent, 1567 property/100K. NCES: 13.8:1 ratio, 4.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $6,591/yr. EPA: 23 Superfund sites (GA).
Where Columbus sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
59 Top 18% higher than 82% 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 58.5 is built
Columbus's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Columbus scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are GA state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Columbus With...
Ranking Context
Columbus outranks 82% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #65 | Rapid City, SD | 58.7 | A- |
| #66 | Dothan, AL | 58.7 | A- |
| #67 | Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | 58.8 | A- |
| #68 | Columbus, GA-AL | 58.5 | A- |
| #69 | Fargo, ND-MN | 58.5 | A- |
| #70 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 58.5 | B+ |
| #71 | Lawrence, KS | 58.4 | B+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Columbus, GA-AL's quality rank (top 18% 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.
GA Metro Scores
Read with Columbus
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Columbus (UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Fargo, ND-MN
ABS(composite) peer at 58.5 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
ABS(composite) peer at 58.5 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.
Lawrence, KS
ABS(composite) peer at 58.4 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.
Dothan, AL
ABS(composite) peer at 58.7 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.
Lynchburg, VA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 78/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Sandusky, OH (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 79/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Columbus, GA-AL relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Columbus's top-third Life Score
Columbus scores 58.5/100 overall, but Childcare (96.5) and Wages (19.2) sit 77.3 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Childcare is the strongest of Columbus'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
- Wages is the weakest (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Dalton is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Dalton
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.