Metro Life Score
Lynchburg, VA
Top-quartile composite Life Score — grade B+, 78th percentile of the national corpus.
- 56.9
- Life Score / 100
- B+
- Grade (curved)
- #86
- of 387 metros
- 78%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Lynchburg is top-quartile composite Life Score — #86 of 387 (56.9/100, grade B+, 78th percentile). Carried by safety at 88/100; held back most by schools at 25/100.
- 78th
- composite percentile
- #86
- of 387 peers
- 78th
- cost dimension percentile
- 28th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · SAFE-LED · signature composite
Lynchburg: top-third composite Life Score
Lynchburg clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#86 of 387, 56.9/100, grade B+, 78th percentile). Stamps UPPER · SAFE-LED; cost CHEAP (78th) · wages LOW (28th). Safety at 88/100 carries the lead; Schools (25/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Lynchburg, VA ranks #86 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #85 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 89.4 (rent-RPP 63.9). BLS median salary $60,748, 88,410 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,187/mo (studio $1,027).
FBI UCR (VA): 223 violent, 1590 property/100K. NCES: 13.7:1 ratio, 0.4% charter. DOL infant childcare $10,445/yr. EPA: 35 Superfund sites (VA).
Where Lynchburg sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
57 Top 22% higher than 78% 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 56.9 is built
Lynchburg's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Lynchburg scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are VA state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Lynchburg With...
Ranking Context
Lynchburg outranks 78% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #83 | Oklahoma City, OK | 57.0 | B+ |
| #84 | Youngstown-Warren, OH | 57.1 | B+ |
| #85 | Waco, TX | 57.1 | B+ |
| #86 | Lynchburg, VA | 56.9 | B+ |
| #87 | Casper, WY | 56.8 | B+ |
| #88 | Mansfield, OH | 56.7 | B+ |
| #89 | Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | 56.7 | B+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Lynchburg, VA's quality rank (top 22% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 22% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
VA Metro Scores
Read with Lynchburg
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Lynchburg (UPPER · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Casper, WY
ABS(composite) peer at 56.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Oklahoma City, OK
ABS(composite) peer at 57.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Mansfield, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 56.7 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA
ABS(composite) peer at 56.7 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Columbus, GA-AL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 78/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 78/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Lynchburg, VA relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Lynchburg's top-third Life Score
Lynchburg scores 56.9/100 overall, but Safety (88.1) and Schools (25.1) sit 63.0 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Lynchburg's seven dimensions (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Schools is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Blacksburg is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Blacksburg
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.