PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL

41.7
Life Score / 100
C
Grade (curved)
#309
of 387 metros
20%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Daphne ranks #309 of 387 US metros, ahead of 20% - carried by its childcare (92/100) and held back most by wages (7/100).

92
strongest: Childcare
69
then: Schools
7
weakest: Wages
7
weighted dimensions

Where Daphne sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

42 20th percentile higher than 20% 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 Daphne Life Score

Daphne's composite score of 41.7 out of 100, a grade of C, places the metro at rank #309 of 387, ahead of 20% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (92/100) and Schools (69/100), which pull the composite upward, while Wages (7/100) and Environment (22/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 94.7 (rent-RPP 89.2). BLS median salary $55,661, 79,420 jobs (Retail Salespersons, Waiters and Waitresses, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,345/mo (studio $1,094).

FBI UCR (AL): 376 violent, 1622 property/100K. NCES: 17.7:1 ratio, 1.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $6,896/yr. EPA: 16 Superfund sites (AL). Ranks #306-#312 below.

Dimension detail

How Daphne scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 45/100 (20%)
Wages 7/100 (20%)
Rent 45/100 (15%)
Safety 41/100 (15%)
Schools 69/100 (10%)
Childcare 92/100 (10%)
Environment 22/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

94.7
Cost Index (RPP)
$55,661
Avg Median Salary
$1,345
2BR Fair Market Rent
376
Violent Crime/100K (AL)
17.7:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$6,896
Infant Childcare/yr (AL)
16
Superfund Sites (AL)
79,420
Total Employment

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

Compare Daphne With...

Daphne vs Tuscaloosa Compare → Daphne vs Mobile Compare → Daphne vs Decatur Compare → Daphne vs Wildwood Compare → Daphne vs Waterloo Compare → Daphne vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Daphne outranks 20% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#306 Gainesville, GA 41.8 C
#307 Vallejo, CA 41.9 C
#308 Knoxville, TN 41.9 C
#309 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL 41.7 C
#310 Bend, OR 41.4 C-
#311 Carson City, NV 41.4 C-
#312 Stockton-Lodi, CA 41.3 C-

AL Metro Scores

Tuscaloosa, AL A+ 66.3 Mobile, AL A 62.3 Decatur, AL A 61.9 Montgomery, AL A- 60.5 Gadsden, AL A- 59.6 Dothan, AL A- 59.5

Using Daphne's Life Score

Daphne 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 (92/100) and its weakest is wages (7/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Daphne head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Daphne 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 Daphne's biggest strengths? ▼
Daphne's strongest dimensions are Childcare (92/100), Schools (69/100), Rent (45/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Daphne's weakest areas? ▼
Daphne's lowest-scoring dimensions are Wages (7/100), Environment (22/100), Safety (41/100). Wages weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Daphne compared to the national average? ▼
Daphne's Regional Price Parity is 94.7 (5.3% less than national); rent RPP 89.2.
What is the average salary in Daphne? ▼
Daphne median salary: $55,661, 79,420 jobs. Top: Retail Salespersons, Waiters and Waitresses, Cashiers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Daphne's 41.7/100 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.