PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Fort Collins-Loveland, CO

36.3
Life Score / 100
D
Grade (curved)
#365
of 387 metros
6%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Fort Collins ranks #365 of 387 US metros, ahead of 6% - carried by its wages (87/100) and held back most by safety (6/100).

87
strongest: Wages
63
then: Schools
6
weakest: Safety
7
weighted dimensions

Where Fort Collins sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

36 6th percentile higher than 6% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Fort Collins Life Score

Fort Collins's composite score of 36.3 out of 100, a grade of D, places the metro at rank #365 of 387, ahead of 6% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Wages (87/100) and Schools (63/100), which pull the composite upward, while Safety (6/100) and Cost of Living (17/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 101.1 (rent-RPP 120.6). BLS median salary $73,292, 149,520 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,732/mo (studio $1,509).

FBI UCR (CO): 481 violent, 2641 property/100K. NCES: 16.6:1 ratio, 14.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $12,821/yr. EPA: 24 Superfund sites (CO). Ranks #362-#368 below.

Dimension detail

How Fort Collins scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 17/100 (20%)
Wages 87/100 (20%)
Rent 19/100 (15%)
Safety 6/100 (15%)
Schools 63/100 (10%)
Childcare 23/100 (10%)
Environment 31/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

101.1
Cost Index (RPP)
$73,292
Avg Median Salary
$1,732
2BR Fair Market Rent
481
Violent Crime/100K (CO)
16.6:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$12,821
Infant Childcare/yr (CO)
24
Superfund Sites (CO)
149,520
Total Employment

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

Compare Fort Collins With...

Fort Collins vs Pueblo Compare → Fort Collins vs Grand Junction Compare → Fort Collins vs Greeley Compare → Fort Collins vs Wildwood Compare → Fort Collins vs Waterloo Compare → Fort Collins vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Fort Collins outranks 6% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#362 Fairbanks-College, AK 36.4 D
#363 Chico, CA 36.5 D
#364 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 36.5 D
#365 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 36.3 D
#366 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR 35.7 D
#367 Santa Fe, NM 35.7 D
#368 Billings, MT 35.6 D

CO Metro Scores

Pueblo, CO C+ 47.3 Grand Junction, CO C- 38.8 Greeley, CO D 37.2 Colorado Springs, CO D 34.8 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO F 32.8 Boulder, CO F 32.6

Using Fort Collins's Life Score

Fort Collins 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 wages (87/100) and its weakest is safety (6/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Fort Collins head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Fort Collins 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 Fort Collins's biggest strengths? ▼
Fort Collins's strongest dimensions are Wages (87/100), Schools (63/100), Environment (31/100). Wages is top-tier nationally.
What are Fort Collins's weakest areas? ▼
Fort Collins's lowest-scoring dimensions are Safety (6/100), Cost of Living (17/100), Rent (19/100). Safety weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Fort Collins compared to the national average? ▼
Fort Collins's Regional Price Parity is 101.1 (1.1% more than national); rent RPP 120.6.
What is the average salary in Fort Collins? ▼
Fort Collins median salary: $73,292, 149,520 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Fort Collins's 36.3/100 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.