PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Lima, OH

59.2
Life Score / 100
A-
Grade (curved)
#68
of 387 metros
82%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Lima ranks #68 of 387 US metros, ahead of 82% - carried by its schools (83/100) and held back most by childcare (31/100).

83
strongest: Schools
79
then: Rent
31
weakest: Childcare
7
weighted dimensions

Where Lima sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

59 Top 18% higher than 82% 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%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Below this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Lima Life Score

Lima's composite score of 59.2 out of 100, a grade of A-, places the metro at rank #68 of 387, ahead of 82% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Schools (83/100) and Rent (79/100), which pull the composite upward, while Childcare (31/100) and Wages (33/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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: 18.2:1 ratio, 9.3% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,791/yr. EPA: 50 Superfund sites (OH). Ranks #65-#71 below.

Dimension detail

How Lima scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 76/100 (20%)
Wages 33/100 (20%)
Rent 79/100 (15%)
Safety 58/100 (15%)
Schools 83/100 (10%)
Childcare 31/100 (10%)
Environment 53/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

89.7
Cost Index (RPP)
$61,326
Avg Median Salary
$1,108
2BR Fair Market Rent
293
Violent Crime/100K (OH)
18.2:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$11,791
Infant Childcare/yr (OH)
50
Superfund Sites (OH)
43,810
Total Employment

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

Compare Lima With...

Lima vs Wheeling Compare → Lima vs Toledo Compare → Lima vs Youngstown Compare → Lima vs Wildwood Compare → Lima vs Waterloo Compare → Lima vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Lima outranks 82% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#65 Lynchburg, VA 59.3 A-
#66 Omaha, NE-IA 59.4 A-
#67 Morgantown, WV 59.5 A-
#68 Lima, OH 59.2 A-
#69 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 59.2 A-
#70 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN 59.1 A-
#71 Jacksonville, FL 59.0 B+

OH Metro Scores

Wheeling, WV-OH A+ 68.2 Toledo, OH A+ 66.3 Youngstown-Warren, OH A 65.8 Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH A 65.7 Sandusky, OH A- 61.4 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH A- 60.5

Using Lima's Life Score

Lima 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 (83/100) and its weakest is childcare (31/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Lima head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Lima 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 Lima's biggest strengths? ▼
Lima's strongest dimensions are Schools (83/100), Rent (79/100), Cost of Living (76/100). Schools is top-tier nationally.
What are Lima's weakest areas? ▼
Lima's lowest-scoring dimensions are Childcare (31/100), Wages (33/100), Environment (53/100). Childcare weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Lima compared to the national average? ▼
Lima's Regional Price Parity is 89.7 (10.3% less than national); rent RPP 57.3.
What is the average salary in Lima? ▼
Lima median salary: $61,326, 43,810 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Lima's 59.2/100 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.