PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Jackson, MI

56.2
Life Score / 100
B+
Grade (curved)
#108
of 387 metros
72%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Jackson ranks #108 of 387 US metros, ahead of 72% - carried by its childcare (81/100) and held back most by safety (19/100).

81
strongest: Childcare
77
then: Schools
19
weakest: Safety
7
weighted dimensions

Where Jackson sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

56 72th percentile higher than 72% 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 Jackson Life Score

Jackson's composite score of 56.2 out of 100, a grade of B+, places the metro at rank #108 of 387, ahead of 72% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (81/100) and Schools (77/100), which pull the composite upward, while Safety (19/100) and Environment (42/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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: 17.5:1 ratio, 10.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,444/yr. EPA: 90 Superfund sites (MI). Ranks #105-#111 below.

Dimension detail

How Jackson scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 64/100 (20%)
Wages 49/100 (20%)
Rent 71/100 (15%)
Safety 19/100 (15%)
Schools 77/100 (10%)
Childcare 81/100 (10%)
Environment 42/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

91.8
Cost Index (RPP)
$63,665
Avg Median Salary
$1,165
2BR Fair Market Rent
431
Violent Crime/100K (MI)
17.5:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,444
Infant Childcare/yr (MI)
90
Superfund Sites (MI)
47,640
Total Employment

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

Compare Jackson With...

Jackson vs Midland Compare → Jackson vs Saginaw Compare → Jackson vs Niles Compare → Jackson vs Wildwood Compare → Jackson vs Waterloo Compare → Jackson vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Jackson outranks 72% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#105 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH 56.3 B+
#106 Johnstown, PA 56.4 B+
#107 Alexandria, LA 56.4 B+
#108 Jackson, MI 56.2 B+
#109 Goldsboro, NC 56.2 B+
#110 Flint, MI 56.1 B+
#111 Fond du Lac, WI 55.6 B+

MI Metro Scores

Midland, MI A 62.6 Saginaw, MI A- 59.9 Niles, MI B+ 56.5 Flint, MI B+ 56.1 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI B+ 55.6 Lansing-East Lansing, MI B+ 55.4

Using Jackson's Life Score

Jackson 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 (81/100) and its weakest is safety (19/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Jackson head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Jackson 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 Jackson's biggest strengths? ▼
Jackson's strongest dimensions are Childcare (81/100), Schools (77/100), Rent (71/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Jackson's weakest areas? ▼
Jackson's lowest-scoring dimensions are Safety (19/100), Environment (42/100), Wages (49/100). Safety weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Jackson compared to the national average? ▼
Jackson's Regional Price Parity is 91.8 (8.2% less than national); rent RPP 67.1.
What is the average salary in Jackson? ▼
Jackson median salary: $63,665, 47,640 jobs. Top: Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Cashiers, Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Jackson's 56.2/100 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.