Metro Life Score

Grants Pass, OR

Below-median composite Life Score — grade C+, 41st percentile of the national corpus.

47.6
Life Score / 100
C+
Grade (curved)
#228
of 387 metros
41%
composite percentile
View your shortlist

Data updated August 2026

The verdict

Grants Pass is below-median composite Life Score — #228 of 387 (47.6/100, grade C+, 41st percentile). Carried by schools at 76/100; held back most by childcare at 25/100.

41st
composite percentile
#228
of 387 peers
30th
cost dimension percentile
56th
wages dimension percentile

Life Score shape · MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · signature cost

Grants Pass: cost pressure is the outlier

Grants Pass is a MID-band metro where cost sits only at the 30th percentile (DEAR) — the clearest outlier vs wages at the 56th and composite #228. Childcare (25/100) is the main drag; Schools (76/100) keeps the floor. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Grants Pass, OR ranks #228 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #271 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.

BEA RPP 97.8 (rent-RPP 79.9). BLS median salary $65,224, 25,220 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,363/mo (studio $940).

FBI UCR (OR): 335 violent, 2410 property/100K. NCES: 17.6:1 ratio, 10.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $12,639/yr. EPA: 21 Superfund sites (OR).

Where Grants Pass sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

48 41st percentile higher than 41% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 7 US metros (2%). Below this entry. 35–40: 34 US metros (9%). Below this entry. 40–45: 66 US metros (17%). Below this entry. 45–50: 91 US metros (24%). This entry sits in this band. 50–55: 77 US metros (20%). Above this entry. 55–60: 60 US metros (16%). Above this entry. 60–65: 44 US metros (11%). Above this entry. 65–70: 6 US metros (2%). Above this entry. 70–75: 1 US metros (0%). 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 · August 2026

Dimension detail

How Grants Pass scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 30/100 (20%)
Wages 56/100 (20%)
Rent 42/100 (15%)
Safety 50/100 (15%)
Schools 76/100 (10%)
Childcare 25/100 (10%)
Environment 65/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

97.8
Cost Index (RPP)
$65,224
Avg Median Salary
$1,363
2BR Fair Market Rent
335
Violent Crime/100K (OR)
17.6:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$12,639
Infant Childcare/yr (OR)
21
Superfund Sites (OR)
25,220
Total Employment

Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are OR state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.

Compare Grants Pass With...

Ranking Context

Grants Pass outranks 41% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#225 Winchester, VA-WV 47.8 C+
#226 Naples-Marco Island, FL 47.8 C+
#227 Janesville-Beloit, WI 47.8 C+
#228 Grants Pass, OR 47.6 C+
#229 Hot Springs, AR 47.5 C+
#230 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 47.5 C+
#231 Columbus, IN 47.4 C+

OR Metro Scores

Read with Grants Pass

Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Grants Pass (MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · DEAR/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Grants Pass Life Score 47.6/100 · signature cost · retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare