PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Green Bay, WI

54.2
Life Score / 100
B
Grade (curved)
#138
of 387 metros
64%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Green Bay ranks #138 of 387 US metros, ahead of 64% - carried by its rent (71/100) and held back most by environment (36/100).

71
strongest: Rent
62
then: Safety
36
weakest: Environment
7
weighted dimensions

Where Green Bay sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

54 64th percentile higher than 64% 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%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Green Bay Life Score

Green Bay's composite score of 54.2 out of 100, a grade of B, places the metro at rank #138 of 387, ahead of 64% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Rent (71/100) and Safety (62/100), which pull the composite upward, while Environment (36/100) and Childcare (42/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 93.1 (rent-RPP 74.7). BLS median salary $65,660, 166,980 jobs (Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,164/mo (studio $867).

FBI UCR (WI): 280 violent, 1157 property/100K. NCES: 14.4:1 ratio, 10.7% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,256/yr. EPA: 46 Superfund sites (WI). Ranks #135-#141 below.

Dimension detail

How Green Bay scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 53/100 (20%)
Wages 56/100 (20%)
Rent 71/100 (15%)
Safety 62/100 (15%)
Schools 47/100 (10%)
Childcare 42/100 (10%)
Environment 36/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

93.1
Cost Index (RPP)
$65,660
Avg Median Salary
$1,164
2BR Fair Market Rent
280
Violent Crime/100K (WI)
14.4:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$11,256
Infant Childcare/yr (WI)
46
Superfund Sites (WI)
166,980
Total Employment

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

Compare Green Bay With...

Green Bay vs Wausau Compare → Green Bay vs Duluth Compare → Green Bay vs Oshkosh Compare → Green Bay vs Wildwood Compare → Green Bay vs Waterloo Compare → Green Bay vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Green Bay outranks 64% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#135 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 54.3 B
#136 Canton-Massillon, OH 54.3 B
#137 Battle Creek, MI 54.3 B
#138 Green Bay, WI 54.2 B
#139 Jacksonville, NC 54.2 B
#140 Bismarck, ND 54.0 B
#141 Lawrence, KS 54.0 B

WI Metro Scores

Wausau, WI A- 61.1 Duluth, MN-WI A- 60.2 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI A- 60.1 Sheboygan, WI A- 59.8 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN A- 59.1 Madison, WI B+ 56.9

Using Green Bay's Life Score

Green Bay 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 rent (71/100) and its weakest is environment (36/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Green Bay head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Green Bay 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 Green Bay's biggest strengths? ▼
Green Bay's strongest dimensions are Rent (71/100), Safety (62/100), Wages (56/100). Rent is top-tier nationally.
What are Green Bay's weakest areas? ▼
Green Bay's lowest-scoring dimensions are Environment (36/100), Childcare (42/100), Schools (47/100). Environment weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Green Bay compared to the national average? ▼
Green Bay's Regional Price Parity is 93.1 (6.9% less than national); rent RPP 74.7.
What is the average salary in Green Bay? ▼
Green Bay median salary: $65,660, 166,980 jobs. Top: Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Green Bay's 54.2/100 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.