PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Memphis, TN-MS-AR

47.4
Life Score / 100
C+
Grade (curved)
#230
of 387 metros
41%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Memphis ranks #230 of 387 US metros, ahead of 41% - carried by its childcare (67/100) and held back most by safety (2/100).

67
strongest: Childcare
61
then: Cost of Living
2
weakest: Safety
7
weighted dimensions

Where Memphis sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

47 41th percentile higher than 41% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Memphis Life Score

Memphis's composite score of 47.4 out of 100, a grade of C+, places the metro at rank #230 of 387, ahead of 41% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (67/100) and Cost of Living (61/100), which pull the composite upward, while Safety (2/100) and Wages (46/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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: 15.3:1 ratio, 6.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,860/yr. EPA: 26 Superfund sites (TN). Ranks #227-#233 below.

Dimension detail

How Memphis scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 61/100 (20%)
Wages 46/100 (20%)
Rent 53/100 (15%)
Safety 2/100 (15%)
Schools 52/100 (10%)
Childcare 67/100 (10%)
Environment 58/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

92.2
Cost Index (RPP)
$65,102
Avg Median Salary
$1,274
2BR Fair Market Rent
602
Violent Crime/100K (TN)
15.3:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,860
Infant Childcare/yr (TN)
26
Superfund Sites (TN)
597,090
Total Employment

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

Compare Memphis With...

Memphis vs Kingsport Compare → Memphis vs Morristown Compare → Memphis vs Jackson Compare → Memphis vs Wildwood Compare → Memphis vs Waterloo Compare → Memphis vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Memphis outranks 41% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#227 Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL 47.5 C+
#228 Altoona, PA 47.5 C+
#229 Salem, OR 47.6 C+
#230 Memphis, TN-MS-AR 47.4 C+
#231 Columbus, IN 47.4 C+
#232 Jackson, TN 47.3 C+
#233 Pueblo, CO 47.3 C+

TN Metro Scores

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA B 53.9 Morristown, TN B- 49.3 Jackson, TN C+ 47.3 Johnson City, TN C+ 47.1 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN C 42.5 Cleveland, TN C 42.4

Using Memphis's Life Score

Memphis 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 (67/100) and its weakest is safety (2/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Memphis head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Memphis 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 Memphis's biggest strengths? ▼
Memphis's strongest dimensions are Childcare (67/100), Cost of Living (61/100), Environment (58/100).
What are Memphis's weakest areas? ▼
Memphis's lowest-scoring dimensions are Safety (2/100), Wages (46/100), Schools (52/100). Safety weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Memphis compared to the national average? ▼
Memphis's Regional Price Parity is 92.2 (7.8% less than national); rent RPP 79.8.
What is the average salary in Memphis? ▼
Memphis median salary: $65,102, 597,090 jobs. Top: Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Memphis's 47.4/100 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.