Metro Life Score
Erie, PA
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 58th percentile of the national corpus.
- 51.6
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #164
- of 387 metros
- 58%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Erie is above-median composite Life Score — #164 of 387 (51.6/100, grade B, 58th percentile). Carried by safety at 77/100; held back most by schools at 18/100.
- 58th
- composite percentile
- #164
- of 387 peers
- 70th
- cost dimension percentile
- 23rd
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SAFE-LED · signature wages
Erie: wage lag defines the peer set
Erie is a MID-band metro where wages sit at only the 23rd percentile (LOW) while cost is CHEAP (70th) and composite #164. Schools at 18/100 is the clearest drag; Safety (77/100) is the offset. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Erie, PA ranks #164 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #117 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 91.0 (rent-RPP 56.8). BLS median salary $59,724, 113,330 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,212/mo (studio $836).
FBI UCR (PA): 250 violent, 1457 property/100K. NCES: 13.0:1 ratio, 6.0% charter. EPA: 127 Superfund sites (PA).
Where Erie sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
52 58th percentile higher than 58% 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 51.6 is built
Erie's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Erie scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are PA state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Erie With...
Ranking Context
Erie outranks 58% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #161 | Yakima, WA | 51.7 | B |
| #162 | Flint, MI | 51.7 | B |
| #163 | Burlington-South Burlington, VT | 51.7 | B |
| #164 | Erie, PA | 51.6 | B |
| #165 | Columbus, OH | 51.6 | B |
| #166 | Sebring, FL | 51.6 | B |
| #167 | Tallahassee, FL | 51.6 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Erie, PA's quality rank (top 42% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 30% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
PA Metro Scores
Read with Erie
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Erie (MID · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Columbus, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 51.6 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Sebring, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 51.6 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Tallahassee, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 51.6 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Burlington-South Burlington, VT
ABS(composite) peer at 51.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Clarksville, TN-KY (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 70/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
College Station-Bryan, TX (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 70/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Erie, PA relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Erie's middle-third Life Score
Erie scores 51.6/100 overall, but Safety (76.7) and Schools (17.6) sit 59.1 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Erie'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
- Schools is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Johnstown is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Johnstown
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.