PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Grand Junction, CO

38.8
Life Score / 100
C-
Grade (curved)
#344
of 387 metros
11%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Grand Junction ranks #344 of 387 US metros, ahead of 11% - carried by its schools (64/100) and held back most by safety (6/100).

64
strongest: Schools
58
then: Rent
6
weakest: Safety
7
weighted dimensions

Where Grand Junction sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

39 11th percentile higher than 11% 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 Grand Junction Life Score

Grand Junction's composite score of 38.8 out of 100, a grade of C-, places the metro at rank #344 of 387, ahead of 11% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Schools (64/100) and Rent (58/100), which pull the composite upward, while Safety (6/100) and Childcare (22/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 95.5 (rent-RPP 86.4). BLS median salary $64,324, 60,630 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,249/mo (studio $881).

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 #341-#347 below.

Dimension detail

How Grand Junction scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 41/100 (20%)
Wages 45/100 (20%)
Rent 58/100 (15%)
Safety 6/100 (15%)
Schools 64/100 (10%)
Childcare 22/100 (10%)
Environment 34/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

95.5
Cost Index (RPP)
$64,324
Avg Median Salary
$1,249
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)
60,630
Total Employment

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

Compare Grand Junction With...

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

Ranking Context

Grand Junction outranks 11% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#341 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 38.9 C-
#342 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 39.0 C-
#343 Glens Falls, NY 39.0 C-
#344 Grand Junction, CO 38.8 C-
#345 Bakersfield-Delano, CA 38.8 C-
#346 Salinas, CA 38.8 C-
#347 Bellingham, WA 38.6 C-

CO Metro Scores

Pueblo, CO C+ 47.3 Greeley, CO D 37.2 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO D 36.3 Colorado Springs, CO D 34.8 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO F 32.8 Boulder, CO F 32.6

Using Grand Junction's Life Score

Grand Junction 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 (64/100) and its weakest is safety (6/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Grand Junction head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Grand Junction 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 Grand Junction's biggest strengths? ▼
Grand Junction's strongest dimensions are Schools (64/100), Rent (58/100), Wages (45/100).
What are Grand Junction's weakest areas? ▼
Grand Junction's lowest-scoring dimensions are Safety (6/100), Childcare (22/100), Environment (34/100). Safety weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Grand Junction compared to the national average? ▼
Grand Junction's Regional Price Parity is 95.5 (4.5% less than national); rent RPP 86.4.
What is the average salary in Grand Junction? ▼
Grand Junction median salary: $64,324, 60,630 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Grand Junction's 38.8/100 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.