Metro Life Score
Greenville, NC
Top-quartile composite Life Score — grade A-, 86th percentile of the national corpus.
- 59.9
- Life Score / 100
- A-
- Grade (curved)
- #53
- of 387 metros
- 86%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Greenville is top-quartile composite Life Score — #53 of 387 (59.9/100, grade A-, 86th percentile). Carried by cost of living at 84/100; held back most by wages at 38/100.
- 86th
- composite percentile
- #53
- of 387 peers
- 84th
- cost dimension percentile
- 37th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · COST-LED · signature composite
Greenville: top-third composite Life Score
Greenville clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#53 of 387, 59.9/100, grade A-, 86th percentile). Stamps UPPER · COST-LED; cost CHEAP (84th) · wages LOW (37th). Cost of Living at 84/100 carries the lead; Wages (38/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Greenville, NC ranks #53 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #61 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 88.4 (rent-RPP 57.3). BLS median salary $62,017, 73,420 jobs (Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons, Office Clerks, General). HUD 2BR FMR $1,095/mo (studio $891).
FBI UCR (NC): 365 violent, 1930 property/100K. NCES: 16.1:1 ratio, 7.6% charter. DOL infant childcare $9,487/yr. EPA: 42 Superfund sites (NC).
Where Greenville sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
60 Top 14% higher than 86% 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 59.9 is built
Greenville's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Greenville scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are NC state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Greenville With...
Ranking Context
Greenville outranks 86% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #50 | Beckley, WV | 60.1 | A- |
| #51 | Eagle Pass, TX | 60.2 | A- |
| #52 | Baton Rouge, LA | 60.2 | A- |
| #53 | Greenville, NC | 59.9 | A- |
| #54 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 59.9 | A- |
| #55 | Mobile, AL | 59.8 | A- |
| #56 | Rochester, MN | 59.8 | A- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Greenville, NC's quality rank (top 14% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 16% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
NC Metro Scores
Read with Greenville
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Greenville (UPPER · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
ABS(composite) peer at 59.9 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Mobile, AL
ABS(composite) peer at 59.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Rochester, MN
ABS(composite) peer at 59.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Beckley, WV
ABS(composite) peer at 60.1 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Decatur, IL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 84/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 84/100 (Δ 1); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Greenville, NC relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Greenville's top-third Life Score
Greenville scores 59.9/100 overall, but Cost of Living (84.5) and Wages (37.6) sit 46.9 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Cost of Living is the strongest of Greenville'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
- Wages is the weakest (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Winston is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Winston
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.