Metro Life Score
Medford, OR
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C, 28th percentile of the national corpus.
- 45.1
- Life Score / 100
- C
- Grade (curved)
- #278
- of 387 metros
- 28%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Medford is below-median composite Life Score — #278 of 387 (45.1/100, grade C, 28th percentile). Carried by schools at 77/100; held back most by cost of living at 16/100.
- 28th
- composite percentile
- #278
- of 387 peers
- 16th
- cost dimension percentile
- 67th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · signature cost
Medford: cost pressure is the outlier
Medford is a LOWER-band metro where cost sits only at the 16th percentile (DEAR) — the clearest outlier vs wages at the 67th and composite #278. Cost of Living (16/100) is the main drag; Schools (77/100) keeps the floor. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Medford, OR ranks #278 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #326 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 101.4 (rent-RPP 97.7). BLS median salary $67,561, 82,860 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,530/mo (studio $1,055).
FBI UCR (OR): 335 violent, 2410 property/100K. NCES: 17.2:1 ratio, 9.8% charter. DOL infant childcare $12,639/yr. EPA: 21 Superfund sites (OR).
Where Medford sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
45 28th percentile higher than 28% 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 45.1 is built
Medford's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Medford scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are OR state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Medford With...
Ranking Context
Medford outranks 28% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #275 | San Angelo, TX | 45.2 | C |
| #276 | Punta Gorda, FL | 45.3 | C |
| #277 | Port St. Lucie, FL | 45.3 | C |
| #278 | Medford, OR | 45.1 | C |
| #279 | Johnson City, TN | 45.1 | C |
| #280 | Burlington, NC | 45.0 | C |
| #281 | Bellingham, WA | 44.9 | C |
Quality vs. Affordability
Medford, OR's quality rank (bottom 28% lowest-quality) and affordability rank (bottom 16% least affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
OR Metro Scores
Read with Medford
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Medford (LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Johnson City, TN
ABS(composite) peer at 45.1 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/HIGH.
Burlington, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 45.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/HIGH.
San Angelo, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 45.2 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/HIGH.
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 45.3 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/HIGH.
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 16/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Eugene-Springfield, OR (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 16/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Medford, OR relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Medford's bottom-third Life Score
Medford scores 45.1/100 overall, but Schools (77.2) and Cost of Living (15.8) sit 61.4 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Schools is the strongest of Medford'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
- Cost of Living is the weakest (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Grants Pass is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Grants Pass
A low composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can still be strong.