PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Corpus Christi, TX

42.6
Life Score / 100
C
Grade (curved)
#294
of 387 metros
24%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Corpus Christi ranks #294 of 387 US metros, ahead of 24% - carried by its childcare (77/100) and held back most by environment (21/100).

77
strongest: Childcare
58
then: Cost of Living
21
weakest: Environment
7
weighted dimensions

Where Corpus Christi sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

43 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 Corpus Christi Life Score

Corpus Christi's composite score of 42.6 out of 100, a grade of C, places the metro at rank #294 of 387, ahead of 24% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (77/100) and Cost of Living (58/100), which pull the composite upward, while Environment (21/100) and Wages (34/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 92.7 (rent-RPP 84.9). BLS median salary $61,494, 183,520 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, General and Operations Managers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,407/mo (studio $1,059).

FBI UCR (TX): 395 violent, 2058 property/100K. NCES: 14.7:1 ratio, 11.4% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,566/yr. EPA: 70 Superfund sites (TX). Ranks #291-#297 below.

Dimension detail

How Corpus Christi scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 58/100 (20%)
Wages 34/100 (20%)
Rent 37/100 (15%)
Safety 34/100 (15%)
Schools 37/100 (10%)
Childcare 77/100 (10%)
Environment 21/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

92.7
Cost Index (RPP)
$61,494
Avg Median Salary
$1,407
2BR Fair Market Rent
395
Violent Crime/100K (TX)
14.7:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,566
Infant Childcare/yr (TX)
70
Superfund Sites (TX)
183,520
Total Employment

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

Compare Corpus Christi With...

Corpus Christi vs Texarkana Compare → Corpus Christi vs Waco Compare → Corpus Christi vs San Antonio Compare → Corpus Christi vs Wildwood Compare → Corpus Christi vs Waterloo Compare → Corpus Christi vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Corpus Christi outranks 24% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#291 Merced, CA 42.8 C
#292 Sherman-Denison, TX 43.1 C
#293 Medford, OR 43.1 C
#294 Corpus Christi, TX 42.6 C
#295 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN 42.5 C
#296 Cleveland, TN 42.4 C
#297 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 42.4 C

TX Metro Scores

Texarkana, TX-AR A- 60.7 Waco, TX B+ 58.2 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX B+ 57.6 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX B 55.0 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX B 54.9 Wichita Falls, TX B 53.9

Using Corpus Christi's Life Score

Corpus Christi 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 childcare (77/100) and its weakest is environment (21/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Corpus Christi head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Corpus Christi 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 Corpus Christi's biggest strengths? ▼
Corpus Christi's strongest dimensions are Childcare (77/100), Cost of Living (58/100), Rent (37/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Corpus Christi's weakest areas? ▼
Corpus Christi's lowest-scoring dimensions are Environment (21/100), Wages (34/100), Safety (34/100). Environment weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Corpus Christi compared to the national average? ▼
Corpus Christi's Regional Price Parity is 92.7 (7.3% less than national); rent RPP 84.9.
What is the average salary in Corpus Christi? ▼
Corpus Christi median salary: $61,494, 183,520 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, General and Operations Managers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Corpus Christi's 42.6/100 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.