Metro Life Score
Flint, MI
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 58th percentile of the national corpus.
- 51.7
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #161
- 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
Flint is above-median composite Life Score — #161 of 387 (51.7/100, grade B, 58th percentile). Carried by rent at 91/100; held back most by environment at 10/100.
- 58th
- composite percentile
- #161
- of 387 peers
- 54th
- cost dimension percentile
- 38th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · BALANCED · signature wages
Flint: mid-wage metro with a distinct composite shape
Flint is mid-curve on wages (≈38th percentile, LOW) with composite #161 (51.7/100, grade B). Cost mark MID; profile BALANCED. Gap between strongest and weakest dimensions: 81 points. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Flint, MI ranks #161 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #179 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 93.0 (rent-RPP 74.0). BLS median salary $62,289, 121,050 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,033/mo (studio $731).
FBI UCR (MI): 431 violent, 1395 property/100K. NCES: 16.7:1 ratio, 10.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,444/yr. EPA: 90 Superfund sites (MI).
Where Flint 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 51.7 is built
Flint's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Flint scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are MI state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Flint With...
Ranking Context
Flint outranks 58% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #158 | Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 51.8 | B |
| #159 | Pittsburgh, PA | 51.9 | B |
| #160 | Pueblo, CO | 52.0 | B |
| #161 | Flint, MI | 51.7 | B |
| #162 | Burlington-South Burlington, VT | 51.7 | B |
| #163 | Yakima, WA | 51.7 | B |
| #164 | Columbus, OH | 51.6 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Flint, MI's quality rank (top 42% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 46% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
MI Metro Scores
Read with Flint
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Flint (MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Burlington-South Burlington, VT
ABS(composite) peer at 51.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Yakima, WA
ABS(composite) peer at 51.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Salt Lake City-Murray, UT
ABS(composite) peer at 51.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Columbus, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 51.6 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Columbus, IN (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 54/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Huntsville, AL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 54/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Flint, MI relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Flint's middle-third Life Score
Flint scores 51.7/100 overall, but Rent (90.7) and Environment (9.8) sit 80.8 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Rent is the strongest of Flint'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
- 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
- Battle Creek is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Battle Creek
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.