PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Johnson City, TN

47.1
Life Score / 100
C+
Grade (curved)
#235
of 387 metros
39%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Johnson City ranks #235 of 387 US metros, ahead of 39% - carried by its cost of living (88/100) and held back most by safety (3/100).

88
strongest: Cost of Living
76
then: Rent
3
weakest: Safety
7
weighted dimensions

Where Johnson City sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

47 39th percentile higher than 39% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Johnson City Life Score

Johnson City's composite score of 47.1 out of 100, a grade of C+, places the metro at rank #235 of 387, ahead of 39% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Cost of Living (88/100) and Rent (76/100), which pull the composite upward, while Safety (3/100) and Wages (7/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 87.9 (rent-RPP 63.2). BLS median salary $57,056, 74,580 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,132/mo (studio $887).

FBI UCR (TN): 602 violent, 2058 property/100K. NCES: 15.3:1 ratio, 6.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,860/yr. EPA: 26 Superfund sites (TN). Ranks #232-#238 below.

Dimension detail

How Johnson City scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 88/100 (20%)
Wages 7/100 (20%)
Rent 76/100 (15%)
Safety 3/100 (15%)
Schools 51/100 (10%)
Childcare 68/100 (10%)
Environment 44/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

87.9
Cost Index (RPP)
$57,056
Avg Median Salary
$1,132
2BR Fair Market Rent
602
Violent Crime/100K (TN)
15.3:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,860
Infant Childcare/yr (TN)
26
Superfund Sites (TN)
74,580
Total Employment

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

Compare Johnson City With...

Johnson City vs Kingsport Compare → Johnson City vs Morristown Compare → Johnson City vs Memphis Compare → Johnson City vs Wildwood Compare → Johnson City vs Waterloo Compare → Johnson City vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Johnson City outranks 39% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#232 Yuma, AZ 47.2 C+
#233 Tyler, TX 47.2 C+
#234 Pueblo, CO 47.3 C+
#235 Johnson City, TN 47.1 C+
#236 Bloomington, IN 47.0 C+
#237 Harrisonburg, VA 47.0 C+
#238 Reading, PA 47.0 C+

TN Metro Scores

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA B 53.9 Morristown, TN B- 49.3 Memphis, TN-MS-AR C+ 47.4 Jackson, TN C+ 47.3 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN C 42.5 Cleveland, TN C 42.4

Using Johnson City's Life Score

Johnson City 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 cost of living (88/100) and its weakest is safety (3/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Johnson City head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Johnson City 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 Johnson City's biggest strengths? ▼
Johnson City's strongest dimensions are Cost of Living (88/100), Rent (76/100), Childcare (68/100). Cost of Living is top-tier nationally.
What are Johnson City's weakest areas? ▼
Johnson City's lowest-scoring dimensions are Safety (3/100), Wages (7/100), Environment (44/100). Safety weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Johnson City compared to the national average? ▼
Johnson City's Regional Price Parity is 87.9 (12.1% less than national); rent RPP 63.2.
What is the average salary in Johnson City? ▼
Johnson City median salary: $57,056, 74,580 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Johnson City's 47.1/100 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.