Metro Life Score
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B-, 52nd percentile of the national corpus.
- 50.1
- Life Score / 100
- B-
- Grade (curved)
- #186
- of 387 metros
- 52%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Lafayette-West Lafayette is above-median composite Life Score — #186 of 387 (50.1/100, grade B-, 52nd percentile). Carried by schools at 61/100; held back most by environment at 17/100.
- 52nd
- composite percentile
- #186
- of 387 peers
- 51st
- cost dimension percentile
- 49th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · signature composite
Lafayette-West Lafayette: mid-curve composite with a readable shape
Lafayette-West Lafayette is a mid-curve MID · SCHOOL-STRONG metro (composite #186, 50.1/100, 52nd percentile). Cost MID (51st) · wages MID (49th). Strongest schools 61/100; weakest environment 17/100; dimension gap 44. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN ranks #186 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #190 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 93.4 (rent-RPP 76.4). BLS median salary $63,985, 90,750 jobs (Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,242/mo (studio $894).
FBI UCR (IN): 308 violent, 1321 property/100K. NCES: 15.2:1 ratio, 6.5% charter. EPA: 53 Superfund sites (IN).
Where Lafayette-West Lafayette sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
50 52nd percentile higher than 52% 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 50.1 is built
Lafayette-West Lafayette's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Lafayette-West Lafayette scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
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 Lafayette-West Lafayette With...
Ranking Context
Lafayette-West Lafayette outranks 52% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #183 | Athens-Clarke County, GA | 50.2 | B- |
| #184 | Florence, SC | 50.3 | B- |
| #185 | El Centro, CA | 50.3 | B- |
| #186 | Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | 50.1 | B- |
| #187 | Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 50.1 | B- |
| #188 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 50.0 | B- |
| #189 | Goldsboro, NC | 49.9 | B- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN's quality rank (top 48% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 49% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
IN Metro Scores
Read with Lafayette-West Lafayette
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Lafayette-West Lafayette (MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 50.1 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/MID.
Athens-Clarke County, GA
ABS(composite) peer at 50.2 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/MID.
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
ABS(composite) peer at 50.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/MID.
El Centro, CA
ABS(composite) peer at 50.3 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/MID.
Homosassa Springs, FL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 51/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Traverse City, MI (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 51/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Lafayette-West Lafayette's middle-third Life Score
Lafayette-West Lafayette scores 50.1/100 overall, but Schools (60.9) and Environment (16.6) sit 44.3 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Schools is the strongest of Lafayette-West Lafayette's seven dimensions (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Environment is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Muncie is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Muncie
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.