PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Flagstaff, AZ

34.5
Life Score / 100
D
Grade (curved)
#372
of 387 metros
4%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Flagstaff ranks #372 of 387 US metros, ahead of 4% - carried by its schools (66/100) and held back most by rent (11/100).

66
strongest: Schools
59
then: Wages
11
weakest: Rent
7
weighted dimensions

Where Flagstaff sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

35 4th percentile higher than 4% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). This entry sits in this band. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Above this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Above this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

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 · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Flagstaff Life Score

Flagstaff's composite score of 34.5 out of 100, a grade of D, places the metro at rank #372 of 387, ahead of 4% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Schools (66/100) and Wages (59/100), which pull the composite upward, while Rent (11/100) and Cost of Living (21/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 100.3 (rent-RPP 109.0). BLS median salary $66,006, 58,590 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Waiters and Waitresses, General and Operations Managers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,921/mo (studio $1,597).

FBI UCR (AZ): 429 violent, 1786 property/100K. NCES: 17.0:1 ratio, 25.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,301/yr. EPA: 13 Superfund sites (AZ). Ranks #369-#375 below.

Dimension detail

How Flagstaff scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 21/100 (20%)
Wages 59/100 (20%)
Rent 11/100 (15%)
Safety 22/100 (15%)
Schools 66/100 (10%)
Childcare 39/100 (10%)
Environment 30/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

100.3
Cost Index (RPP)
$66,006
Avg Median Salary
$1,921
2BR Fair Market Rent
429
Violent Crime/100K (AZ)
17.0:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$11,301
Infant Childcare/yr (AZ)
13
Superfund Sites (AZ)
58,590
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Flagstaff With...

Flagstaff vs Sierra Vista Compare → Flagstaff vs Yuma Compare → Flagstaff vs Tucson Compare → Flagstaff vs Wildwood Compare → Flagstaff vs Waterloo Compare → Flagstaff vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Flagstaff outranks 4% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#369 Colorado Springs, CO 34.8 D
#370 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ 35.1 D
#371 Missoula, MT 35.2 D
#372 Flagstaff, AZ 34.5 D
#373 Anchorage, AK 34.3 D
#374 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 34.1 D
#375 Helena, MT 34.0 D

AZ Metro Scores

Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ B 54.3 Yuma, AZ C+ 47.2 Tucson, AZ C+ 46.0 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ C- 40.5 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ D 38.2 Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ D 38.0

Using Flagstaff's Life Score

Flagstaff is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is schools (66/100) and its weakest is rent (11/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Flagstaff head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Flagstaff lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Flagstaff's biggest strengths? ▼
Flagstaff's strongest dimensions are Schools (66/100), Wages (59/100), Childcare (39/100).
What are Flagstaff's weakest areas? ▼
Flagstaff's lowest-scoring dimensions are Rent (11/100), Cost of Living (21/100), Safety (22/100). Rent weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Flagstaff compared to the national average? ▼
Flagstaff's Regional Price Parity is 100.3 (0.3% more than national); rent RPP 109.0.
What is the average salary in Flagstaff? ▼
Flagstaff median salary: $66,006, 58,590 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Waiters and Waitresses, General and Operations Managers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Flagstaff's 34.5/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.