Metro Life Score
Hanford-Corcoran, CA
Bottom-quartile composite Life Score — grade C-, 18th percentile of the national corpus.
- 42.0
- Life Score / 100
- C-
- Grade (curved)
- #319
- of 387 metros
- 18%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Hanford-Corcoran is bottom-quartile composite Life Score — #319 of 387 (42.0/100, grade C-, 18th percentile). Carried by schools at 95/100; held back most by childcare at 8/100.
- 18th
- composite percentile
- #319
- of 387 peers
- 15th
- cost dimension percentile
- 71st
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · signature cost
Hanford-Corcoran: cost pressure is the outlier
Hanford-Corcoran is a LOWER-band metro where cost sits only at the 15th percentile (DEAR) — the clearest outlier vs wages at the 71st and composite #319. Childcare (8/100) is the main drag; Schools (95/100) keeps the floor. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Hanford-Corcoran, CA ranks #319 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #328 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 101.6 (rent-RPP 93.5). BLS median salary $68,709, 40,390 jobs (Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,469/mo (studio $1,150).
FBI UCR (CA): 477 violent, 1986 property/100K. NCES: 20.8:1 ratio, 12.8% charter. DOL infant childcare $17,920/yr. EPA: 116 Superfund sites (CA).
Where Hanford-Corcoran sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
42 18th percentile higher than 18% 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 42.0 is built
Hanford-Corcoran's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Hanford-Corcoran scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are CA state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Hanford-Corcoran With...
Ranking Context
Hanford-Corcoran outranks 18% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #316 | Trenton-Princeton, NJ | 42.1 | C- |
| #317 | Lancaster, PA | 42.1 | C- |
| #318 | Hinesville, GA | 42.1 | C- |
| #319 | Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 42.0 | C- |
| #320 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 41.9 | C- |
| #321 | Greeley, CO | 41.8 | C- |
| #322 | Pittsfield, MA | 41.4 | C- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Hanford-Corcoran, CA's quality rank (bottom 18% lowest-quality) and affordability rank (bottom 16% least affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
CA Metro Scores
Read with Hanford-Corcoran
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Hanford-Corcoran (LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · DEAR/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
ABS(composite) peer at 41.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C- vs this page's LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · DEAR/HIGH.
Hinesville, GA
ABS(composite) peer at 42.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C- vs this page's LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · DEAR/HIGH.
Lancaster, PA
ABS(composite) peer at 42.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C- vs this page's LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · DEAR/HIGH.
Trenton-Princeton, NJ
ABS(composite) peer at 42.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C- vs this page's LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · DEAR/HIGH.
Eugene-Springfield, OR (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 16/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 15/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Hanford-Corcoran, CA relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · DEAR/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Hanford-Corcoran's bottom-third Life Score
Hanford-Corcoran scores 42.0/100 overall, but Schools (94.8) and Childcare (7.9) sit 86.9 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Schools is the strongest of Hanford-Corcoran's seven dimensions (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Childcare is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- El Centro is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with El Centro
A low composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can still be strong.