PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Huntsville, AL

58.6
Life Score / 100
B+
Grade (curved)
#75
of 387 metros
81%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Huntsville ranks #75 of 387 US metros, ahead of 81% - carried by its childcare (91/100) and held back most by safety (40/100).

91
strongest: Childcare
71
then: Wages
40
weakest: Safety
7
weighted dimensions

Where Huntsville sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

59 Top 19% higher than 81% 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%). Below this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Huntsville Life Score

Huntsville's composite score of 58.6 out of 100, a grade of B+, places the metro at rank #75 of 387, ahead of 81% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (91/100) and Wages (71/100), which pull the composite upward, while Safety (40/100) and Environment (41/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 93.1 (rent-RPP 77.9). BLS median salary $65,749, 251,800 jobs (Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Software Developers, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,310/mo (studio $1,030).

FBI UCR (AL): 376 violent, 1622 property/100K. NCES: 17.7:1 ratio, 1.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $6,896/yr. EPA: 16 Superfund sites (AL). Ranks #72-#78 below.

Dimension detail

How Huntsville scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 54/100 (20%)
Wages 71/100 (20%)
Rent 49/100 (15%)
Safety 40/100 (15%)
Schools 70/100 (10%)
Childcare 91/100 (10%)
Environment 41/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

93.1
Cost Index (RPP)
$65,749
Avg Median Salary
$1,310
2BR Fair Market Rent
376
Violent Crime/100K (AL)
17.7:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$6,896
Infant Childcare/yr (AL)
16
Superfund Sites (AL)
251,800
Total Employment

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

Compare Huntsville With...

Huntsville vs Tuscaloosa Compare → Huntsville vs Mobile Compare → Huntsville vs Decatur Compare → Huntsville vs Wildwood Compare → Huntsville vs Waterloo Compare → Huntsville vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Huntsville outranks 81% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#72 New Orleans-Metairie, LA 58.7 B+
#73 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 58.7 B+
#74 Decatur, IL 58.7 B+
#75 Huntsville, AL 58.6 B+
#76 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA 58.6 B+
#77 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC 58.6 B+
#78 Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC 58.5 B+

AL Metro Scores

Tuscaloosa, AL A+ 66.3 Mobile, AL A 62.3 Decatur, AL A 61.9 Montgomery, AL A- 60.5 Gadsden, AL A- 59.6 Dothan, AL A- 59.5

Using Huntsville's Life Score

Huntsville 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 childcare (91/100) and its weakest is safety (40/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Huntsville head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Huntsville 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 Huntsville's biggest strengths? ▼
Huntsville's strongest dimensions are Childcare (91/100), Wages (71/100), Schools (70/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Huntsville's weakest areas? ▼
Huntsville's lowest-scoring dimensions are Safety (40/100), Environment (41/100), Rent (49/100).
How expensive is Huntsville compared to the national average? ▼
Huntsville's Regional Price Parity is 93.1 (6.9% less than national); rent RPP 77.9.
What is the average salary in Huntsville? ▼
Huntsville median salary: $65,749, 251,800 jobs. Top: Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Software Developers, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Huntsville's 58.6/100 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.