PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Killeen-Temple, TX

49.3
Life Score / 100
B-
Grade (curved)
#203
of 387 metros
48%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Killeen ranks #203 of 387 US metros, ahead of 48% - carried by its childcare (76/100) and held back most by wages (28/100).

76
strongest: Childcare
68
then: Cost of Living
28
weakest: Wages
7
weighted dimensions

Where Killeen sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

49 48th percentile higher than 48% 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 Killeen Life Score

Killeen's composite score of 49.3 out of 100, a grade of B-, places the metro at rank #203 of 387, ahead of 48% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (76/100) and Cost of Living (68/100), which pull the composite upward, while Wages (28/100) and Safety (33/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 91.1 (rent-RPP 77.9). BLS median salary $60,254, 141,070 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses, Stockers and Order Fillers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,233/mo (studio $983).

FBI UCR (TX): 395 violent, 2058 property/100K. NCES: 14.7:1 ratio, 11.4% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,566/yr. EPA: 70 Superfund sites (TX). Ranks #200-#206 below.

Dimension detail

How Killeen scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 68/100 (20%)
Wages 28/100 (20%)
Rent 60/100 (15%)
Safety 33/100 (15%)
Schools 39/100 (10%)
Childcare 76/100 (10%)
Environment 47/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

91.1
Cost Index (RPP)
$60,254
Avg Median Salary
$1,233
2BR Fair Market Rent
395
Violent Crime/100K (TX)
14.7:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,566
Infant Childcare/yr (TX)
70
Superfund Sites (TX)
141,070
Total Employment

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

Compare Killeen With...

Killeen vs Texarkana Compare → Killeen vs Waco Compare → Killeen vs San Antonio Compare → Killeen vs Wildwood Compare → Killeen vs Waterloo Compare → Killeen vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Killeen outranks 48% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#200 Vineland, NJ 49.4 B-
#201 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 49.4 B-
#202 Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN 49.5 B-
#203 Killeen-Temple, TX 49.3 B-
#204 Morristown, TN 49.3 B-
#205 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI 49.2 B-
#206 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 49.2 B-

TX Metro Scores

Texarkana, TX-AR A- 60.7 Waco, TX B+ 58.2 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX B+ 57.6 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX B 55.0 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX B 54.9 Wichita Falls, TX B 53.9

Using Killeen's Life Score

Killeen 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 (76/100) and its weakest is wages (28/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Killeen head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Killeen 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 Killeen's biggest strengths? ▼
Killeen's strongest dimensions are Childcare (76/100), Cost of Living (68/100), Rent (60/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Killeen's weakest areas? ▼
Killeen's lowest-scoring dimensions are Wages (28/100), Safety (33/100), Schools (39/100). Wages weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Killeen compared to the national average? ▼
Killeen's Regional Price Parity is 91.1 (8.9% less than national); rent RPP 77.9.
What is the average salary in Killeen? ▼
Killeen median salary: $60,254, 141,070 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses, Stockers and Order Fillers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Killeen's 49.3/100 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.