Metro Life Score
Eau Claire, WI
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 64th percentile of the national corpus.
- 52.9
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #140
- of 387 metros
- 64%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Eau Claire is above-median composite Life Score — #140 of 387 (52.9/100, grade B, 64th percentile). Carried by safety at 69/100; held back most by environment at 23/100.
- 64th
- composite percentile
- #140
- of 387 peers
- 56th
- cost dimension percentile
- 57th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SAFE-LED · signature composite
Eau Claire: mid-curve composite with a readable shape
Eau Claire is a mid-curve MID · SAFE-LED metro (composite #140, 52.9/100, 63rd percentile). Cost MID (56th) · wages MID (57th). Strongest safety 69/100; weakest environment 23/100; dimension gap 45. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Eau Claire, WI ranks #140 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #172 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 92.8 (rent-RPP 72.8). BLS median salary $65,248, 79,810 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,181/mo (studio $932).
FBI UCR (WI): 280 violent, 1157 property/100K. NCES: 14.1:1 ratio, 10.6% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,256/yr. EPA: 46 Superfund sites (WI).
Where Eau Claire sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
53 64th percentile higher than 64% 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 52.9 is built
Eau Claire's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Eau Claire scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are WI state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Eau Claire With...
Ranking Context
Eau Claire outranks 64% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #137 | Homosassa Springs, FL | 53.0 | B |
| #138 | Brunswick-St. Simons, GA | 53.0 | B |
| #139 | Binghamton, NY | 53.0 | B |
| #140 | Eau Claire, WI | 52.9 | B |
| #141 | Madison, WI | 52.9 | B |
| #142 | Springfield, OH | 52.9 | B |
| #143 | Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | 52.7 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Eau Claire, WI's quality rank (top 36% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 44% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
WI Metro Scores
Read with Eau Claire
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Eau Claire (MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Madison, WI
ABS(composite) peer at 52.9 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Springfield, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 52.9 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Binghamton, NY
ABS(composite) peer at 53.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Brunswick-St. Simons, GA
ABS(composite) peer at 53.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 55/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Springfield, IL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 56/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Eau Claire, WI relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Eau Claire's middle-third Life Score
Eau Claire scores 52.9/100 overall, but Safety (68.7) and Environment (23.3) sit 45.3 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Eau Claire's seven dimensions (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Environment is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Oshkosh is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Oshkosh
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.