Metro Life Score
Corvallis, OR
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C, 27th percentile of the national corpus.
- 44.8
- Life Score / 100
- C
- Grade (curved)
- #282
- of 387 metros
- 27%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Corvallis is below-median composite Life Score — #282 of 387 (44.8/100, grade C, 27th percentile). Carried by wages at 76/100; held back most by cost of living at 9/100.
- 27th
- composite percentile
- #282
- of 387 peers
- 9th
- cost dimension percentile
- 76th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · signature cost
Corvallis: cost pressure is the outlier
Corvallis is a LOWER-band metro where cost sits only at the 9th percentile (CEILING) — the clearest outlier vs wages at the 76th and composite #282. Cost of Living (9/100) is the main drag; Wages (76/100) keeps the floor. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Corvallis, OR ranks #282 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #352 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 104.0 (rent-RPP 114.4). BLS median salary $70,316, 29,730 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,622/mo (studio $1,200).
FBI UCR (OR): 335 violent, 2410 property/100K. NCES: 17.2:1 ratio, 9.8% charter. DOL infant childcare $12,639/yr. EPA: 21 Superfund sites (OR).
Where Corvallis sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
45 27th percentile higher than 27% 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 44.8 is built
Corvallis's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Corvallis scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are OR state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Corvallis With...
Ranking Context
Corvallis outranks 27% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #279 | Bellingham, WA | 44.9 | C |
| #280 | Burlington, NC | 45.0 | C |
| #281 | Medford, OR | 45.1 | C |
| #282 | Corvallis, OR | 44.8 | C |
| #283 | Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 44.8 | C |
| #284 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 44.7 | C |
| #285 | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | 44.7 | C |
Quality vs. Affordability
Corvallis, OR is bottom 27% lowest-quality nationally but only bottom 9% least affordable among its composite-quality peers -- its Life Score is earned mostly outside the cost dimension, not through being a budget option.
OR Metro Scores
Read with Corvallis
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Corvallis (LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
ABS(composite) peer at 44.8 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH.
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC
ABS(composite) peer at 44.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH.
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA
ABS(composite) peer at 44.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH.
Bellingham, WA
ABS(composite) peer at 44.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH.
Modesto, CA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 9/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CEILING vs this metro's CEILING.
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 9/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CEILING vs this metro's CEILING.
Corvallis, OR relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · CEILING/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Corvallis's bottom-third Life Score
Corvallis scores 44.8/100 overall, but Wages (76.2) and Cost of Living (9.1) sit 67.1 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Wages is the strongest of Corvallis's seven dimensions (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Cost of Living is the weakest (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Grants Pass is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Grants Pass
A low composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can still be strong.