Metro Life Score
Lima, OH
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B+, 74th percentile of the national corpus.
- 55.6
- Life Score / 100
- B+
- Grade (curved)
- #99
- of 387 metros
- 74%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Lima is above-median composite Life Score — #99 of 387 (55.6/100, grade B+, 74th percentile). Carried by schools at 90/100; held back most by environment at 5/100.
- 74th
- composite percentile
- #99
- of 387 peers
- 76th
- cost dimension percentile
- 31st
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · signature cost
Lima: affordability leads the Life Score story
Lima is a UPPER-band metro whose cost dimension sits at the 76th percentile of 387 US metros (CHEAP) while composite is #99 (55.6/100, grade B+). Schools at 90/100 carries the upside; Environment at 5/100 is the residual drag. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Lima, OH ranks #99 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #93 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 89.7 (rent-RPP 57.3). BLS median salary $61,326, 43,810 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,108/mo (studio $839).
FBI UCR (OH): 293 violent, 1545 property/100K. NCES: 17.4:1 ratio, 9.3% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,791/yr. EPA: 50 Superfund sites (OH).
Where Lima sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
56 74th percentile higher than 74% 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 55.6 is built
Lima's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Lima scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are OH state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Lima With...
Ranking Context
Lima outranks 74% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #96 | Muncie, IN | 55.7 | B+ |
| #97 | Lubbock, TX | 55.8 | B+ |
| #98 | Montgomery, AL | 55.9 | B+ |
| #99 | Lima, OH | 55.6 | B+ |
| #100 | Wichita, KS | 55.6 | B+ |
| #101 | Battle Creek, MI | 55.5 | B+ |
| #102 | Canton-Massillon, OH | 55.5 | B+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Lima, OH's quality rank (top 26% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 24% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
OH Metro Scores
Read with Lima
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Lima (UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · CHEAP/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Wichita, KS
ABS(composite) peer at 55.6 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · CHEAP/LOW.
Battle Creek, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 55.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · CHEAP/LOW.
Canton-Massillon, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 55.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · CHEAP/LOW.
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 55.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · CHEAP/LOW.
Kokomo, IN (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 76/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Montgomery, AL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 76/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Lima, OH relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · SCHOOL-STRONG · CHEAP/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Lima's top-third Life Score
Lima scores 55.6/100 overall, but Schools (90.2) and Environment (5.2) sit 85.0 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Schools is the strongest of Lima'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
- Toledo is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Toledo
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.