PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Kokomo, IN

Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 60th percentile of the national corpus.

52.2
Life Score / 100
B
Grade (curved)
#153
of 387 metros
60%
composite percentile
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Data updated August 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog

The verdict

Kokomo is above-median composite Life Score — #153 of 387 (52.2/100, grade B, 60th percentile). Carried by rent at 77/100; held back most by environment at 16/100.

60th
composite percentile
#153
of 387 peers
76th
cost dimension percentile
19th
wages dimension percentile

Life Score shape · MID · BALANCED · signature wages

Kokomo: wage lag defines the peer set

Kokomo is a MID-band metro where wages sit at only the 19th percentile (LOW) while cost is CHEAP (76th) and composite #153. Environment at 16/100 is the clearest drag; Rent (77/100) is the offset. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Kokomo, IN ranks #153 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #92 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.

BEA RPP 89.6 (rent-RPP 59.3). BLS median salary $59,160, 26,100 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,123/mo (studio $884).

FBI UCR (IN): 308 violent, 1321 property/100K. NCES: 15.9:1 ratio, 6.5% charter. EPA: 53 Superfund sites (IN).

Where Kokomo sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

52 60th percentile higher than 60% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 7 US metros (2%). Below this entry. 35–40: 34 US metros (9%). Below this entry. 40–45: 66 US metros (17%). Below this entry. 45–50: 91 US metros (24%). Below this entry. 50–55: 77 US metros (20%). This entry sits in this band. 55–60: 60 US metros (16%). Above this entry. 60–65: 44 US metros (11%). Above this entry. 65–70: 6 US metros (2%). Above this entry. 70–75: 1 US metros (0%). 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 · August 2026

Dimension detail

How Kokomo scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 76/100 (20%)
Wages 19/100 (20%)
Rent 77/100 (15%)
Safety 57/100 (15%)
Schools 61/100 (10%)
Childcare -/100 (10%)
Environment 16/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

89.6
Cost Index (RPP)
$59,160
Avg Median Salary
$1,123
2BR Fair Market Rent
308
Violent Crime/100K (IN)
15.9:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
53
Superfund Sites (IN)
26,100
Total Employment

Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are IN state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.

Compare Kokomo With...

Kokomo vs Muncie Compare → Kokomo vs Evansville Compare → Kokomo vs Terre Haute Compare → Kokomo vs Paducah Compare → Kokomo vs Pocatello Compare → Kokomo vs Wildwood Compare →

Ranking Context

Kokomo outranks 60% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#150 Jackson, MI 52.3 B
#151 Rockford, IL 52.4 B
#152 Farmington, NM 52.4 B
#153 Kokomo, IN 52.2 B
#154 Fond du Lac, WI 52.2 B
#155 Wausau, WI 52.2 B
#156 Bay City, MI 52.1 B

IN Metro Scores

Muncie, IN B+ 55.7 Evansville, IN B 54.0 Terre Haute, IN B 53.9 Fort Wayne, IN B- 51.2 Elkhart-Goshen, IN B- 50.7 Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN B- 50.1

Read with Kokomo

Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Kokomo (MID · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.

Fond du Lac, WI

ABS(composite) peer at 52.2 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.

Wausau, WI

ABS(composite) peer at 52.2 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.

Jackson, MI

ABS(composite) peer at 52.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.

Bay City, MI

ABS(composite) peer at 52.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.

Lima, OH (cost pole)

ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 76/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.

Wichita Falls, TX (cost pole)

ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 77/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.

Kokomo, IN relocation guide

Stamp-branched guide for MID · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Kokomo Life Score 52.2/100 · signature wages · retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare

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