Metro Life Score
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Below-median composite Life Score — grade B-, 44th percentile of the national corpus.
- 48.2
- Life Score / 100
- B-
- Grade (curved)
- #216
- of 387 metros
- 44%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Durham-Chapel Hill is below-median composite Life Score — #216 of 387 (48.2/100, grade B-, 44th percentile). Carried by wages at 80/100; held back most by rent at 20/100.
- 44th
- composite percentile
- #216
- of 387 peers
- 30th
- cost dimension percentile
- 80th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · WAGE-LED · signature wages
Durham-Chapel Hill: pay power is the signature
Durham-Chapel Hill stamps MID · WAGE-LED with wages at the 80th percentile of the metro corpus (HIGH) — ahead of its cost mark (DEAR, 30th) and composite #216. Wages (80/100) amplifies the lead; Rent (20/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ranks #216 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #269 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 97.6 (rent-RPP 98.9). BLS median salary $71,457, 295,700 jobs (Software Developers, Retail Salespersons, Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants). HUD 2BR FMR $1,711/mo (studio $1,417).
FBI UCR (NC): 365 violent, 1930 property/100K. NCES: 16.1:1 ratio, 7.6% charter. DOL infant childcare $9,487/yr. EPA: 42 Superfund sites (NC).
Where Durham-Chapel Hill sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
48 44th percentile higher than 44% 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 48.2 is built
Durham-Chapel Hill's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Durham-Chapel Hill scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are NC state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Durham-Chapel Hill With...
Ranking Context
Durham-Chapel Hill outranks 44% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #213 | Charlottesville, VA | 48.3 | B- |
| #214 | Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 48.7 | B- |
| #215 | Bloomington, IL | 48.7 | B- |
| #216 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 48.2 | B- |
| #217 | Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 48.2 | C+ |
| #218 | Jacksonville, NC | 48.1 | C+ |
| #219 | Niles, MI | 48.1 | C+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC's quality rank (bottom 44% lowest-quality) and affordability rank (bottom 31% least affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
NC Metro Scores
Read with Durham-Chapel Hill
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Durham-Chapel Hill (MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 48.2 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Charlottesville, VA
ABS(composite) peer at 48.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Jacksonville, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 48.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Niles, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 48.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 30/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Longview-Kelso, WA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 31/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Durham-Chapel Hill's middle-third Life Score
Durham-Chapel Hill scores 48.2/100 overall, but Wages (80.1) and Rent (19.9) sit 60.1 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Wages is the strongest of Durham-Chapel Hill'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
- Rent is the weakest (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Greenville is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Greenville
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.