Metro Life Score
Elkhart-Goshen, IN
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B-, 54th percentile of the national corpus.
- 50.7
- Life Score / 100
- B-
- Grade (curved)
- #178
- of 387 metros
- 54%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Elkhart-Goshen is above-median composite Life Score — #178 of 387 (50.7/100, grade B-, 54th percentile). Carried by cost of living at 73/100; held back most by environment at 15/100.
- 54th
- composite percentile
- #178
- of 387 peers
- 73rd
- cost dimension percentile
- 24th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · COST-LED · signature wages
Elkhart-Goshen: wage lag defines the peer set
Elkhart-Goshen is a MID-band metro where wages sit at only the 24th percentile (LOW) while cost is CHEAP (73rd) and composite #178. Environment at 15/100 is the clearest drag; Cost of Living (73/100) is the offset. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Elkhart-Goshen, IN ranks #178 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #105 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 90.3 (rent-RPP 64.3). BLS median salary $59,976, 122,290 jobs (Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,183/mo (studio $968).
FBI UCR (IN): 308 violent, 1321 property/100K. NCES: 15.2:1 ratio, 6.5% charter. EPA: 53 Superfund sites (IN).
Where Elkhart-Goshen sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
51 54th percentile higher than 54% 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 50.7 is built
Elkhart-Goshen's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Elkhart-Goshen scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are IN state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Elkhart-Goshen With...
Ranking Context
Elkhart-Goshen outranks 54% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #175 | Warner Robins, GA | 50.8 | B- |
| #176 | Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | 50.8 | B- |
| #177 | Midland, TX | 50.8 | B- |
| #178 | Elkhart-Goshen, IN | 50.7 | B- |
| #179 | Kennewick-Richland, WA | 50.6 | B- |
| #180 | Williamsport, PA | 50.6 | B- |
| #181 | Jefferson City, MO | 50.5 | B- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Elkhart-Goshen, IN is top 46% highest-quality nationally and also top 27% most affordable -- a rarer combination among its composite-quality peers, where overall rank and affordability rank usually diverge more than this.
IN Metro Scores
Read with Elkhart-Goshen
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Elkhart-Goshen (MID · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Abilene, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 50.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Gainesville, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 50.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Logan, UT-ID
ABS(composite) peer at 50.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Longview-Kelso, WA
ABS(composite) peer at 50.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Lawrence, KS (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 73/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Las Cruces, NM (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 74/100 (Δ 1); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Elkhart-Goshen, IN relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Elkhart-Goshen's middle-third Life Score
Elkhart-Goshen scores 50.7/100 overall, but Cost of Living (73.1) and Environment (15.3) sit 57.8 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Cost of Living is the strongest of Elkhart-Goshen'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
- 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
- Muncie is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Muncie
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.