PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Ithaca, NY

33.9
Life Score / 100
F
Grade (curved)
#376
of 387 metros
3%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Ithaca ranks #376 of 387 US metros, ahead of 3% - carried by its wages (85/100) and held back most by schools (4/100).

85
strongest: Wages
42
then: Environment
4
weakest: Schools
7
weighted dimensions

Where Ithaca sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

34 3th percentile higher than 3% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). This entry sits in this band. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Above this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Above this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 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 Ithaca Life Score

Ithaca's composite score of 33.9 out of 100, a grade of F, places the metro at rank #376 of 387, ahead of 3% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Wages (85/100) and Environment (42/100), which pull the composite upward, while Schools (4/100) and Cost of Living (11/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 103.3 (rent-RPP 128.4). BLS median salary $75,348, 39,380 jobs (Retail Salespersons, Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,753/mo (studio $1,263).

FBI UCR (NY): 380 violent, 1661 property/100K. NCES: 11.8:1 ratio, 7.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $13,869/yr. EPA: 122 Superfund sites (NY). Ranks #373-#379 below.

Dimension detail

How Ithaca scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 11/100 (20%)
Wages 85/100 (20%)
Rent 17/100 (15%)
Safety 38/100 (15%)
Schools 4/100 (10%)
Childcare 20/100 (10%)
Environment 42/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

103.3
Cost Index (RPP)
$75,348
Avg Median Salary
$1,753
2BR Fair Market Rent
380
Violent Crime/100K (NY)
11.8:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$13,869
Infant Childcare/yr (NY)
122
Superfund Sites (NY)
39,380
Total Employment

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

Compare Ithaca With...

Ithaca vs Utica Compare → Ithaca vs Watertown Compare → Ithaca vs Binghamton Compare → Ithaca vs Wildwood Compare → Ithaca vs Waterloo Compare → Ithaca vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Ithaca outranks 3% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#373 Helena, MT 34.0 D
#374 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 34.1 D
#375 Anchorage, AK 34.3 D
#376 Ithaca, NY 33.9 F
#377 Barnstable Town, MA 33.2 F
#378 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA 33.0 F
#379 Albuquerque, NM 32.9 F

NY Metro Scores

Utica-Rome, NY B 52.5 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY B 52.5 Binghamton, NY C+ 46.9 Syracuse, NY C+ 46.9 Rochester, NY C 42.3 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY C- 41.0

Using Ithaca's Life Score

Ithaca 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 wages (85/100) and its weakest is schools (4/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Ithaca head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Ithaca 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 Ithaca's biggest strengths? ▼
Ithaca's strongest dimensions are Wages (85/100), Environment (42/100), Safety (38/100). Wages is top-tier nationally.
What are Ithaca's weakest areas? ▼
Ithaca's lowest-scoring dimensions are Schools (4/100), Cost of Living (11/100), Rent (17/100). Schools weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Ithaca compared to the national average? ▼
Ithaca's Regional Price Parity is 103.3 (3.3% more than national); rent RPP 128.4.
What is the average salary in Ithaca? ▼
Ithaca median salary: $75,348, 39,380 jobs. Top: Retail Salespersons, Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary, Registered Nurses.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Ithaca's 33.9/100 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.