Metro Life Score
Jackson, TN
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C, 29th percentile of the national corpus.
- 45.3
- Life Score / 100
- C
- Grade (curved)
- #273
- of 387 metros
- 29%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Jackson is below-median composite Life Score — #273 of 387 (45.3/100, grade C, 29th percentile). Carried by cost of living at 97/100; held back most by safety at 3/100.
- 29th
- composite percentile
- #273
- of 387 peers
- 97th
- cost dimension percentile
- 15th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · LOWER · COST-LED · signature cost
Jackson: affordability leads the Life Score story
Jackson is a LOWER-band metro whose cost dimension sits at the 97th percentile of 387 US metros (FLOOR) while composite is #273 (45.3/100, grade C). Cost of Living at 97/100 carries the upside; Safety at 3/100 is the residual drag. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Jackson, TN ranks #273 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #11 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 85.5 (rent-RPP 56.6). BLS median salary $58,189, 78,140 jobs (Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,260/mo (studio $869).
FBI UCR (TN): 602 violent, 2058 property/100K. NCES: 15.2:1 ratio, 6.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,860/yr. EPA: 26 Superfund sites (TN).
Where Jackson sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
45 29th percentile higher than 29% 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 45.3 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 TN 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 29% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #270 | Yuma, AZ | 45.4 | C |
| #271 | Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | 45.4 | C |
| #272 | Traverse City, MI | 45.4 | C |
| #273 | Jackson, TN | 45.3 | C |
| #274 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 45.3 | C |
| #275 | Port St. Lucie, FL | 45.3 | C |
| #276 | Punta Gorda, FL | 45.3 | C |
Quality vs. Affordability
Jackson, TN is bottom 30% lowest-quality nationally and also top 3% most affordable -- a rarer combination among its composite-quality peers, where overall rank and affordability rank usually diverge more than this.
TN Metro Scores
Read with Jackson
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Jackson (LOWER · COST-LED · FLOOR/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 45.3 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · COST-LED · FLOOR/LOW.
Port St. Lucie, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 45.3 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · COST-LED · FLOOR/LOW.
Punta Gorda, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 45.3 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · COST-LED · FLOOR/LOW.
San Angelo, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 45.2 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · COST-LED · FLOOR/LOW.
Wildwood-The Villages, FL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 98/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp FLOOR vs this metro's FLOOR.
Gadsden, AL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 97/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp FLOOR vs this metro's FLOOR.
Jackson, TN relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for LOWER · COST-LED · FLOOR/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Jackson's bottom-third Life Score
Jackson scores 45.3/100 overall, but Cost of Living (97.4) and Safety (3.4) sit 94.0 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Cost of Living is the strongest of Jackson's seven dimensions (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Safety is the weakest (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Kingsport is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Kingsport
A low composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can still be strong.