PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Medford, OR

43.1
Life Score / 100
C
Grade (curved)
#291
of 387 metros
25%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Medford ranks #291 of 387 US metros, ahead of 25% - carried by its schools (77/100) and held back most by cost of living (16/100).

77
strongest: Schools
66
then: Wages
16
weakest: Cost of Living
7
weighted dimensions

Where Medford sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

43 25th percentile higher than 25% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 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 Medford Life Score

Medford's composite score of 43.1 out of 100, a grade of C, places the metro at rank #291 of 387, ahead of 25% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Schools (77/100) and Wages (66/100), which pull the composite upward, while Cost of Living (16/100) and Childcare (24/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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: 17.6:1 ratio, 10.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $12,639/yr. EPA: 21 Superfund sites (OR). Ranks #288-#294 below.

Dimension detail

How Medford scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 16/100 (20%)
Wages 66/100 (20%)
Rent 30/100 (15%)
Safety 43/100 (15%)
Schools 77/100 (10%)
Childcare 24/100 (10%)
Environment 58/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

101.4
Cost Index (RPP)
$67,561
Avg Median Salary
$1,530
2BR Fair Market Rent
335
Violent Crime/100K (OR)
17.6:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$12,639
Infant Childcare/yr (OR)
21
Superfund Sites (OR)
82,860
Total Employment

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

Compare Medford With...

Medford vs Salem Compare → Medford vs Portland Compare → Medford vs Bend Compare → Medford vs Wildwood Compare → Medford vs Waterloo Compare → Medford vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Medford outranks 25% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#288 Yuba City, CA 43.3 C
#289 Chambersburg, PA 43.4 C
#290 Urban Honolulu, HI 43.6 C
#291 Medford, OR 43.1 C
#292 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA 43.1 C
#293 Hot Springs, AR 43.1 C
#294 Sherman-Denison, TX 43.1 C

OR Metro Scores

Salem, OR C+ 47.6 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA C+ 45.7 Bend, OR C- 41.4 Eugene-Springfield, OR C- 40.9 Corvallis, OR C- 40.7 Grants Pass, OR C- 40.3

Using Medford's Life Score

Medford 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 schools (77/100) and its weakest is cost of living (16/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Medford head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Medford 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 Medford's biggest strengths? ▼
Medford's strongest dimensions are Schools (77/100), Wages (66/100), Environment (58/100). Schools is top-tier nationally.
What are Medford's weakest areas? ▼
Medford's lowest-scoring dimensions are Cost of Living (16/100), Childcare (24/100), Rent (30/100). Cost of Living weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Medford compared to the national average? ▼
Medford's Regional Price Parity is 101.4 (1.4% more than national); rent RPP 97.7.
What is the average salary in Medford? ▼
Medford median salary: $67,561, 82,860 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Medford's 43.1/100 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.