Metro Life Score
Fargo, ND-MN
Top-quartile composite Life Score — grade A-, 82nd percentile of the national corpus.
- 58.5
- Life Score / 100
- A-
- Grade (curved)
- #69
- of 387 metros
- 82%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Fargo is top-quartile composite Life Score — #69 of 387 (58.5/100, grade A-, 82nd percentile). Carried by rent at 78/100; held back most by schools at 4/100.
- 82nd
- composite percentile
- #69
- of 387 peers
- 71st
- cost dimension percentile
- 73rd
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · BALANCED · signature composite
Fargo: top-third composite Life Score
Fargo clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#69 of 387, 58.5/100, grade A-, 82nd percentile). Stamps UPPER · BALANCED; cost CHEAP (71st) · wages HIGH (73rd). Rent at 78/100 carries the lead; Schools (4/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Fargo, ND-MN ranks #69 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #114 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 90.9 (rent-RPP 81.1). BLS median salary $69,516, 142,800 jobs (Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,112/mo (studio $768).
FBI UCR (ND): 257 violent, 1706 property/100K. NCES: 10.8:1 ratio, 0.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $10,925/yr. EPA: 2 Superfund sites (ND).
Where Fargo sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
59 Top 18% higher than 82% 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 58.5 is built
Fargo's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Fargo scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are ND state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Fargo With...
Ranking Context
Fargo outranks 82% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #66 | Rapid City, SD | 58.7 | A- |
| #67 | Dothan, AL | 58.7 | A- |
| #68 | Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | 58.8 | A- |
| #69 | Fargo, ND-MN | 58.5 | A- |
| #70 | Columbus, GA-AL | 58.5 | A- |
| #71 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 58.5 | B+ |
| #72 | Lawrence, KS | 58.4 | B+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Fargo, ND-MN's quality rank (top 18% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 29% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
ND Metro Scores
Read with Fargo
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Fargo (UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Columbus, GA-AL
ABS(composite) peer at 58.5 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/HIGH.
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
ABS(composite) peer at 58.5 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/HIGH.
Lawrence, KS
ABS(composite) peer at 58.4 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/HIGH.
Dothan, AL
ABS(composite) peer at 58.7 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/HIGH.
Rochester, MN (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 71/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Saginaw, MI (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 70/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Fargo, ND-MN relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Fargo's top-third Life Score
Fargo scores 58.5/100 overall, but Rent (78.2) and Schools (3.6) sit 74.6 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Rent is the strongest of Fargo'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
- Grand Forks is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Grand Forks
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.