Metro Life Score
Fort Wayne, IN
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B-, 57th percentile of the national corpus.
- 51.2
- Life Score / 100
- B-
- Grade (curved)
- #168
- of 387 metros
- 57%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Fort Wayne is above-median composite Life Score — #168 of 387 (51.2/100, grade B-, 57th percentile). Carried by rent at 78/100; held back most by environment at 16/100.
- 57th
- composite percentile
- #168
- of 387 peers
- 58th
- cost dimension percentile
- 32nd
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · BALANCED · signature wages
Fort Wayne: wage lag defines the peer set
Fort Wayne is a MID-band metro where wages sit at only the 32nd percentile (LOW) while cost is MID (58th) and composite #168. Environment at 16/100 is the clearest drag; Rent (78/100) is the offset. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Fort Wayne, IN ranks #168 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #161 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 92.6 (rent-RPP 72.3). BLS median salary $61,404, 217,390 jobs (Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,113/mo (studio $892).
FBI UCR (IN): 308 violent, 1321 property/100K. NCES: 15.2:1 ratio, 6.5% charter. EPA: 53 Superfund sites (IN).
Where Fort Wayne sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
51 57th percentile higher than 57% 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 51.2 is built
Fort Wayne's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Fort Wayne scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are IN state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Fort Wayne With...
Ranking Context
Fort Wayne outranks 57% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #165 | Utica-Rome, NY | 51.3 | B- |
| #166 | Tallahassee, FL | 51.6 | B |
| #167 | Sebring, FL | 51.6 | B |
| #168 | Fort Wayne, IN | 51.2 | B- |
| #169 | Richmond, VA | 51.2 | B- |
| #170 | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 51.0 | B- |
| #171 | Abilene, TX | 50.8 | B- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Fort Wayne, IN's quality rank (top 43% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 42% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
IN Metro Scores
Read with Fort Wayne
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Fort Wayne (MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Richmond, VA
ABS(composite) peer at 51.2 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Utica-Rome, NY
ABS(composite) peer at 51.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 51.0 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Columbus, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 51.6 (Δ 0.4 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Knoxville, TN (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 59/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
New Orleans-Metairie, LA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 58/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Fort Wayne, IN relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Fort Wayne's middle-third Life Score
Fort Wayne scores 51.2/100 overall, but Rent (77.7) and Environment (15.8) sit 61.9 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Rent is the strongest of Fort Wayne'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
- Muncie is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Muncie
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.