Metro Life Score
Macon-Bibb County, GA
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 70th percentile of the national corpus.
- 54.5
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #118
- of 387 metros
- 70%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Macon-Bibb County is above-median composite Life Score — #118 of 387 (54.5/100, grade B, 70th percentile). Carried by childcare at 95/100; held back most by wages at 20/100.
- 70th
- composite percentile
- #118
- of 387 peers
- 83rd
- cost dimension percentile
- 20th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · BALANCED · signature cost
Macon-Bibb County: affordability leads the Life Score story
Macon-Bibb County is a UPPER-band metro whose cost dimension sits at the 83rd percentile of 387 US metros (CHEAP) while composite is #118 (54.5/100, grade B). Childcare at 95/100 carries the upside; Wages at 20/100 is the residual drag. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Macon-Bibb County, GA ranks #118 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #66 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 88.5 (rent-RPP 58.9). BLS median salary $59,229, 88,060 jobs (Registered Nurses, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,307/mo (studio $1,085).
FBI UCR (GA): 300 violent, 1567 property/100K. NCES: 13.8:1 ratio, 4.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $6,591/yr. EPA: 23 Superfund sites (GA).
Where Macon-Bibb County sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
55 70th percentile higher than 70% 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 54.5 is built
Macon-Bibb County's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Macon-Bibb County scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are GA state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Macon-Bibb County With...
Ranking Context
Macon-Bibb County outranks 70% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #115 | Sheboygan, WI | 54.7 | B |
| #116 | Las Cruces, NM | 54.7 | B+ |
| #117 | Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ | 54.8 | B+ |
| #118 | Macon-Bibb County, GA | 54.5 | B |
| #119 | Morgantown, WV | 54.4 | B |
| #120 | Rocky Mount, NC | 54.3 | B |
| #121 | Sandusky, OH | 54.3 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Macon-Bibb County, GA's quality rank (top 30% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 17% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
GA Metro Scores
Read with Macon-Bibb County
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Macon-Bibb County (UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Morgantown, WV
ABS(composite) peer at 54.4 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.
Las Cruces, NM
ABS(composite) peer at 54.7 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.
Rocky Mount, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 54.3 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.
Sandusky, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 54.3 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 83/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Springfield, MO (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 83/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Macon-Bibb County, GA relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Macon-Bibb County's top-third Life Score
Macon-Bibb County scores 54.5/100 overall, but Childcare (95.3) and Wages (20.2) sit 75.1 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Childcare is the strongest of Macon-Bibb County'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
- Dalton is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Dalton
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.