Metro Life Score
Jackson, MI
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 61st percentile of the national corpus.
- 52.3
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #151
- of 387 metros
- 61%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Jackson is above-median composite Life Score — #151 of 387 (52.3/100, grade B, 61st percentile). Carried by childcare at 81/100; held back most by environment at 10/100.
- 61st
- composite percentile
- #151
- of 387 peers
- 64th
- cost dimension percentile
- 46th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · BALANCED · signature cost
Jackson: mid-pack cost with a distinct Life Score shape
Jackson sits mid-pack on cost (≈64th percentile, MID) with composite #151 of 387 (52.3/100). Profile BALANCED; wages mark MID. Strongest childcare 81/100; weakest environment 10/100. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Jackson, MI ranks #151 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #139 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 91.8 (rent-RPP 67.1). BLS median salary $63,665, 47,640 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Cashiers, Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators). HUD 2BR FMR $1,165/mo (studio $838).
FBI UCR (MI): 431 violent, 1395 property/100K. NCES: 16.7:1 ratio, 10.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,444/yr. EPA: 90 Superfund sites (MI).
Where Jackson sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
52 61st percentile higher than 61% 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 52.3 is built
Jackson's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Jackson scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are MI state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Jackson With...
Ranking Context
Jackson outranks 61% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #148 | Rockford, IL | 52.4 | B |
| #149 | Farmington, NM | 52.4 | B |
| #150 | Altoona, PA | 52.4 | B |
| #151 | Jackson, MI | 52.3 | B |
| #152 | Fond du Lac, WI | 52.2 | B |
| #153 | Kokomo, IN | 52.2 | B |
| #154 | Wausau, WI | 52.2 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Jackson, MI's quality rank (top 39% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 36% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
MI Metro Scores
Read with Jackson
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Jackson (MID · BALANCED · MID/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Fond du Lac, WI
ABS(composite) peer at 52.2 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Kokomo, IN
ABS(composite) peer at 52.2 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Wausau, WI
ABS(composite) peer at 52.2 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Altoona, PA
ABS(composite) peer at 52.4 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/MID.
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 65/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Amarillo, TX (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 64/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Jackson, MI relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · BALANCED · MID/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Jackson's middle-third Life Score
Jackson scores 52.3/100 overall, but Childcare (81.5) and Environment (10.4) sit 71.1 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Childcare is the strongest of Jackson'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
- Environment is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Battle Creek is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Battle Creek
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.