Metro Life Score
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C, 32nd percentile of the national corpus.
- 45.5
- Life Score / 100
- C
- Grade (curved)
- #264
- of 387 metros
- 32%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Memphis is below-median composite Life Score — #264 of 387 (45.5/100, grade C, 32nd percentile). Carried by childcare at 67/100; held back most by safety at 2/100.
- 32nd
- composite percentile
- #264
- of 387 peers
- 61st
- cost dimension percentile
- 55th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · LOWER · BALANCED · signature composite
Memphis: bottom-third composite — where the drag concentrates
Memphis sits in the bottom third of the metro corpus on composite (#264 of 387, 45.5/100, 32nd percentile). Stamps LOWER · BALANCED; Safety at 2/100 is the main drag; Childcare (67/100) keeps the floor. Cost/wage marks MID/MID. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Memphis, TN-MS-AR ranks #264 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #151 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 92.2 (rent-RPP 79.8). BLS median salary $65,102, 597,090 jobs (Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,274/mo (studio $1,060).
FBI UCR (TN): 602 violent, 2058 property/100K. NCES: 15.2:1 ratio, 6.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,860/yr. EPA: 26 Superfund sites (TN).
Where Memphis sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
46 32nd percentile higher than 32% 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 45.5 is built
Memphis's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Memphis scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are TN state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Memphis With...
Ranking Context
Memphis outranks 32% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #261 | Spartanburg, SC | 45.7 | C+ |
| #262 | Morristown, TN | 45.7 | C+ |
| #263 | Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 45.7 | C+ |
| #264 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 45.5 | C |
| #265 | Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 45.5 | C+ |
| #266 | Albany, OR | 45.4 | C |
| #267 | Eugene-Springfield, OR | 45.4 | C |
Quality vs. Affordability
Memphis, TN-MS-AR is bottom 32% lowest-quality nationally and also top 39% most affordable -- a rarer combination among its composite-quality peers, where overall rank and affordability rank usually diverge more than this.
TN Metro Scores
Read with Memphis
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Memphis (LOWER · BALANCED · MID/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 45.5 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's LOWER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Albany, OR
ABS(composite) peer at 45.4 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Eugene-Springfield, OR
ABS(composite) peer at 45.4 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
ABS(composite) peer at 45.4 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Tyler, TX (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 61/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Williamsport, PA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 61/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Memphis, TN-MS-AR relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for LOWER · BALANCED · MID/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Memphis's bottom-third Life Score
Memphis scores 45.5/100 overall, but Childcare (66.8) and Safety (2.3) sit 64.4 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Childcare is the strongest of Memphis'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
- Safety is the weakest (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Kingsport is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Kingsport
A low composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can still be strong.