Metro Life Score
Columbus, OH
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 58th percentile of the national corpus.
- 51.6
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #163
- of 387 metros
- 58%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Columbus is above-median composite Life Score — #163 of 387 (51.6/100, grade B, 58th percentile). Carried by schools at 90/100; held back most by environment at 5/100.
- 58th
- composite percentile
- #163
- of 387 peers
- 41st
- cost dimension percentile
- 79th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · signature wages
Columbus: pay power is the signature
Columbus stamps MID · SCHOOL-STRONG with wages at the 79th percentile of the metro corpus (HIGH) — ahead of its cost mark (MID, 41st) and composite #163. Schools (90/100) amplifies the lead; Environment (5/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Columbus, OH ranks #163 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #229 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 95.5 (rent-RPP 87.9). BLS median salary $70,997, 1,092,320 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses, Stockers and Order Fillers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,430/mo (studio $1,111).
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).
Where Columbus sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
52 58th percentile higher than 58% 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
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 OH 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 58% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #160 | Yakima, WA | 51.7 | B |
| #161 | Flint, MI | 51.7 | B |
| #162 | Burlington-South Burlington, VT | 51.7 | B |
| #163 | Columbus, OH | 51.6 | B |
| #164 | Erie, PA | 51.6 | B |
| #165 | Sebring, FL | 51.6 | B |
| #166 | Tallahassee, FL | 51.6 | B |
OH Metro Scores
Read with Columbus
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Columbus (MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Erie, PA
ABS(composite) peer at 51.6 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH.
Sebring, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 51.6 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH.
Tallahassee, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 51.6 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH.
Burlington-South Burlington, VT
ABS(composite) peer at 51.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · 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.
Grand Junction, CO (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 41/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Columbus, OH relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.