Metro Life Score
Longview, TX
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 68th percentile of the national corpus.
- 54.2
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #123
- of 387 metros
- 68%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Longview is above-median composite Life Score — #123 of 387 (54.2/100, grade B, 68th percentile). Carried by environment at 87/100; held back most by wages at 17/100.
- 68th
- composite percentile
- #123
- of 387 peers
- 77th
- cost dimension percentile
- 17th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · signature wages
Longview: wage lag defines the peer set
Longview is a UPPER-band metro where wages sit at only the 17th percentile (LOW) while cost is CHEAP (77th) and composite #123. Wages at 17/100 is the clearest drag; Environment (87/100) is the offset. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Longview, TX ranks #123 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #89 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 89.5 (rent-RPP 66.7). BLS median salary $58,714, 109,710 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, General and Operations Managers, Stockers and Order Fillers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,199/mo (studio $1,007).
FBI UCR (TX): 395 violent, 2058 property/100K. NCES: 14.4:1 ratio, 11.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,566/yr. EPA: 70 Superfund sites (TX).
Where Longview sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
54 68th percentile higher than 68% 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 54.2 is built
Longview's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Longview scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are TX state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Longview With...
Ranking Context
Longview outranks 68% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #120 | St. Joseph, MO-KS | 54.3 | B |
| #121 | Sandusky, OH | 54.3 | B |
| #122 | Rocky Mount, NC | 54.3 | B |
| #123 | Longview, TX | 54.2 | B |
| #124 | Birmingham, AL | 54.1 | B |
| #125 | Auburn-Opelika, AL | 54.0 | B |
| #126 | Evansville, IN | 54.0 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Longview, TX's quality rank (top 32% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 23% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
TX Metro Scores
Read with Longview
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Longview (UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Rocky Mount, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 54.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Sandusky, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 54.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
St. Joseph, MO-KS
ABS(composite) peer at 54.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Birmingham, AL
ABS(composite) peer at 54.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Columbia, MO (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 77/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Altoona, PA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 77/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Longview, TX relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Longview's top-third Life Score
Longview scores 54.2/100 overall, but Environment (86.8) and Wages (17.4) sit 69.4 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Environment is the strongest of Longview'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
- Wages is the weakest (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Beaumont is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Beaumont
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.