PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Macon-Bibb County, GA

54.0
Life Score / 100
B
Grade (curved)
#142
of 387 metros
63%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Macon ranks #142 of 387 US metros, ahead of 63% - carried by its childcare (95/100) and held back most by wages (17/100).

95
strongest: Childcare
83
then: Cost of Living
17
weakest: Wages
7
weighted dimensions

Where Macon sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

54 63th percentile higher than 63% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 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 Macon Life Score

Macon's composite score of 54.0 out of 100, a grade of B, places the metro at rank #142 of 387, ahead of 63% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (95/100) and Cost of Living (83/100), which pull the composite upward, while Wages (17/100) and Schools (34/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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: 14.4:1 ratio, 4.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $6,591/yr. EPA: 23 Superfund sites (GA). Ranks #139-#145 below.

Dimension detail

How Macon scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 83/100 (20%)
Wages 17/100 (20%)
Rent 49/100 (15%)
Safety 54/100 (15%)
Schools 34/100 (10%)
Childcare 95/100 (10%)
Environment 56/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

88.5
Cost Index (RPP)
$59,229
Avg Median Salary
$1,307
2BR Fair Market Rent
300
Violent Crime/100K (GA)
14.4:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$6,591
Infant Childcare/yr (GA)
23
Superfund Sites (GA)
88,060
Total Employment

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

Compare Macon With...

Macon vs Valdosta Compare → Macon vs Dalton Compare → Macon vs Warner Robins Compare → Macon vs Wildwood Compare → Macon vs Waterloo Compare → Macon vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Macon outranks 63% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#139 Jacksonville, NC 54.2 B
#140 Green Bay, WI 54.2 B
#141 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 54.3 B
#142 Macon-Bibb County, GA 54.0 B
#143 Bismarck, ND 54.0 B
#144 Lawrence, KS 54.0 B
#145 Pittsburgh, PA 54.0 B

GA Metro Scores

Valdosta, GA B+ 57.7 Dalton, GA B+ 56.9 Warner Robins, GA B+ 55.6 Rome, GA B+ 55.5 Columbus, GA-AL B 55.1 Albany, GA B 54.3

Using Macon's Life Score

Macon 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 childcare (95/100) and its weakest is wages (17/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Macon head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Macon 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 Macon's biggest strengths? ▼
Macon's strongest dimensions are Childcare (95/100), Cost of Living (83/100), Environment (56/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Macon's weakest areas? ▼
Macon's lowest-scoring dimensions are Wages (17/100), Schools (34/100), Rent (49/100). Wages weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Macon compared to the national average? ▼
Macon's Regional Price Parity is 88.5 (11.5% less than national); rent RPP 58.9.
What is the average salary in Macon? ▼
Macon median salary: $59,229, 88,060 jobs. Top: Registered Nurses, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Fast Food and Counter Workers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Macon's 54.0/100 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.