Metro Life Score
Mankato, MN
Top-10% composite Life Score — grade A, 91st percentile of the national corpus.
- 61.4
- Life Score / 100
- A
- Grade (curved)
- #36
- of 387 metros
- 91%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Mankato is top-10% composite Life Score — #36 of 387 (61.4/100, grade A, 91st percentile). Carried by wages at 75/100; held back most by environment at 21/100.
- 91st
- composite percentile
- #36
- of 387 peers
- 69th
- cost dimension percentile
- 75th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · TOP · WAGE-LED · signature composite
Mankato: top-third composite Life Score
Mankato clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#36 of 387, 61.4/100, grade A, 91st percentile). Stamps TOP · WAGE-LED; cost CHEAP (69th) · wages HIGH (75th). Wages at 75/100 carries the lead; Environment (21/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Mankato, MN ranks #36 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #119 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 91.0 (rent-RPP 79.9). BLS median salary $70,136, 48,900 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,171/mo (studio $971).
FBI UCR (MN): 259 violent, 1625 property/100K. NCES: 13.9:1 ratio, 11.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,722/yr. EPA: 49 Superfund sites (MN).
Where Mankato sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
61 Top 9% higher than 91% 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 61.4 is built
Mankato's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Mankato scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are MN state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Mankato With...
Ranking Context
Mankato outranks 91% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #33 | Jacksonville, FL | 61.7 | A |
| #34 | Toledo, OH | 61.8 | A |
| #35 | Texarkana, TX-AR | 61.9 | A |
| #36 | Mankato, MN | 61.4 | A |
| #37 | Grand Forks, ND-MN | 61.2 | A |
| #38 | Gulfport-Biloxi, MS | 61.2 | A |
| #39 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 61.2 | A- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Mankato, MN is top 9% highest-quality nationally but only top 31% most affordable among its composite-quality peers -- its Life Score is earned mostly outside the cost dimension, not through being a budget option.
MN Metro Scores
Read with Mankato
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Mankato (TOP · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Grand Forks, ND-MN
ABS(composite) peer at 61.2 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade A vs this page's TOP · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH.
Gulfport-Biloxi, MS
ABS(composite) peer at 61.2 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade A vs this page's TOP · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH.
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 61.2 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade A- vs this page's TOP · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH.
Wheeling, WV-OH
ABS(composite) peer at 61.2 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade A- vs this page's TOP · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH.
College Station-Bryan, TX (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 70/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Bismarck, ND (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 69/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Mankato, MN relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for TOP · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Mankato's top-third Life Score
Mankato scores 61.4/100 overall, but Wages (75.1) and Environment (20.7) sit 54.4 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Wages is the strongest of Mankato's seven dimensions (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Environment is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- St. Cloud is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with St. Cloud
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.