PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV

45.4
Life Score / 100
C
Grade (curved)
#267
of 387 metros
31%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Las Vegas ranks #267 of 387 US metros, ahead of 31% - carried by its schools (98/100) and held back most by rent (18/100).

98
strongest: Schools
67
then: Wages
18
weakest: Rent
7
weighted dimensions

Where Las Vegas sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

45 31th percentile higher than 31% 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 Las Vegas Life Score

Las Vegas's composite score of 45.4 out of 100, a grade of C, places the metro at rank #267 of 387, ahead of 31% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Schools (98/100) and Wages (67/100), which pull the composite upward, while Rent (18/100) and Cost of Living (22/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 100.2 (rent-RPP 115.5). BLS median salary $69,586, 1,114,750 jobs (Waiters and Waitresses, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,735/mo (studio $1,333).

FBI UCR (NV): 407 violent, 2226 property/100K. NCES: 20.5:1 ratio, 13.6% charter. DOL infant childcare $10,033/yr. EPA: 2 Superfund sites (NV). Ranks #264-#270 below.

Dimension detail

How Las Vegas scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 22/100 (20%)
Wages 67/100 (20%)
Rent 18/100 (15%)
Safety 29/100 (15%)
Schools 98/100 (10%)
Childcare 55/100 (10%)
Environment 51/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

100.2
Cost Index (RPP)
$69,586
Avg Median Salary
$1,735
2BR Fair Market Rent
407
Violent Crime/100K (NV)
20.5:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$10,033
Infant Childcare/yr (NV)
2
Superfund Sites (NV)
1,114,750
Total Employment

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

Compare Las Vegas With...

Las Vegas vs Reno Compare → Las Vegas vs Carson City Compare → Las Vegas vs Wildwood Compare → Las Vegas vs Waterloo Compare → Las Vegas vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Las Vegas outranks 31% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#264 Portland-South Portland, ME 45.5 C
#265 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL 45.5 C
#266 Kansas City, MO-KS 45.5 C
#267 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV 45.4 C
#268 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 45.4 C
#269 Visalia, CA 45.2 C
#270 Jonesboro, AR 45.1 C

NV Metro Scores

Reno, NV B 52.5 Carson City, NV C- 41.4

Using Las Vegas's Life Score

Las Vegas 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 schools (98/100) and its weakest is rent (18/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Las Vegas head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Las Vegas 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 Las Vegas's biggest strengths? ▼
Las Vegas's strongest dimensions are Schools (98/100), Wages (67/100), Childcare (55/100). Schools is top-tier nationally.
What are Las Vegas's weakest areas? ▼
Las Vegas's lowest-scoring dimensions are Rent (18/100), Cost of Living (22/100), Safety (29/100). Rent weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Las Vegas compared to the national average? ▼
Las Vegas's Regional Price Parity is 100.2 (0.2% more than national); rent RPP 115.5.
What is the average salary in Las Vegas? ▼
Las Vegas median salary: $69,586, 1,114,750 jobs. Top: Waiters and Waitresses, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Las Vegas's 45.4/100 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.