Metro Life Score
El Paso, TX
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 65th percentile of the national corpus.
- 53.3
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #134
- of 387 metros
- 65%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
El Paso is above-median composite Life Score — #134 of 387 (53.3/100, grade B, 65th percentile). Carried by environment at 86/100; held back most by wages at 13/100.
- 65th
- composite percentile
- #134
- of 387 peers
- 75th
- cost dimension percentile
- 13th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · signature wages
El Paso: wage lag defines the peer set
El Paso is a UPPER-band metro where wages sit at only the 13th percentile (LOW) while cost is CHEAP (75th) and composite #134. Wages at 13/100 is the clearest drag; Environment (86/100) is the offset. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, El Paso, TX ranks #134 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #97 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 89.9 (rent-RPP 71.2). BLS median salary $57,810, 331,390 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Customer Service Representatives). HUD 2BR FMR $1,191/mo (studio $821).
FBI UCR (TX): 395 violent, 2058 property/100K. NCES: 14.4:1 ratio, 11.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,566/yr. EPA: 70 Superfund sites (TX).
Where El Paso sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
53 65th percentile higher than 65% 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 53.3 is built
El Paso's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How El Paso scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are TX state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare El Paso With...
Ranking Context
El Paso outranks 65% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #131 | Killeen-Temple, TX | 53.4 | B |
| #132 | Green Bay, WI | 53.4 | B |
| #133 | Valdosta, GA | 53.7 | B |
| #134 | El Paso, TX | 53.3 | B |
| #135 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 53.2 | B |
| #136 | St. Louis, MO-IL | 53.1 | B |
| #137 | Binghamton, NY | 53.0 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
El Paso, TX's quality rank (top 35% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 25% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
TX Metro Scores
Read with El Paso
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for El Paso (UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
ABS(composite) peer at 53.2 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Green Bay, WI
ABS(composite) peer at 53.4 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Killeen-Temple, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 53.4 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
St. Louis, MO-IL
ABS(composite) peer at 53.1 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Gulfport-Biloxi, MS (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 75/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Dalton, GA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 75/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
El Paso, TX relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using El Paso's middle-third Life Score
El Paso scores 53.3/100 overall, but Environment (85.8) and Wages (13.2) sit 72.5 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Environment is the strongest of El Paso's seven dimensions (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Wages is the weakest (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Beaumont is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Beaumont
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.