Metro Life Score
Grand Forks, ND-MN
Top-10% composite Life Score — grade A, 90th percentile of the national corpus.
- 61.2
- Life Score / 100
- A
- Grade (curved)
- #37
- of 387 metros
- 90%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Grand Forks is top-10% composite Life Score — #37 of 387 (61.2/100, grade A, 90th percentile). Carried by cost of living at 92/100; held back most by schools at 4/100.
- 90th
- composite percentile
- #37
- of 387 peers
- 92nd
- cost dimension percentile
- 61st
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · TOP · COST-LED · signature cost
Grand Forks: affordability leads the Life Score story
Grand Forks is a TOP-band metro whose cost dimension sits at the 92nd percentile of 387 US metros (FLOOR) while composite is #37 (61.2/100, grade A). Cost of Living at 92/100 carries the upside; Schools at 4/100 is the residual drag. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Grand Forks, ND-MN ranks #37 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #31 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 86.7 (rent-RPP 59.7). BLS median salary $66,228, 46,030 jobs (Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides). HUD 2BR FMR $1,089/mo (studio $863).
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 Grand Forks sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
61 Top 10% higher than 90% 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 61.2 is built
Grand Forks's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Grand Forks 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 Grand Forks With...
Ranking Context
Grand Forks outranks 90% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #34 | Mankato, MN | 61.4 | A |
| #35 | Jacksonville, FL | 61.7 | A |
| #36 | Toledo, OH | 61.8 | A |
| #37 | Grand Forks, ND-MN | 61.2 | A |
| #38 | Gulfport-Biloxi, MS | 61.2 | A |
| #39 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 61.2 | A- |
| #40 | Wheeling, WV-OH | 61.2 | A- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Grand Forks, ND-MN's quality rank (top 10% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 8% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
ND Metro Scores
Read with Grand Forks
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Grand Forks (TOP · COST-LED · FLOOR/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Gulfport-Biloxi, MS
ABS(composite) peer at 61.2 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A vs this page's TOP · COST-LED · FLOOR/MID.
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 61.2 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's TOP · COST-LED · FLOOR/MID.
Wheeling, WV-OH
ABS(composite) peer at 61.2 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's TOP · COST-LED · FLOOR/MID.
Twin Falls, ID *
ABS(composite) peer at 61.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade A- vs this page's TOP · COST-LED · FLOOR/MID.
Grand Island, NE (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 92/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp FLOOR vs this metro's FLOOR.
Florence, SC (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 92/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp FLOOR vs this metro's FLOOR.
Grand Forks, ND-MN relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for TOP · COST-LED · FLOOR/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Grand Forks's top-third Life Score
Grand Forks scores 61.2/100 overall, but Cost of Living (92.2) and Schools (4.1) sit 88.1 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Cost of Living is the strongest of Grand Forks's seven dimensions (weighted 20% 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
- Fargo is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Fargo
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.