Metro Life Score
Midland, MI
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B+, 71st percentile of the national corpus.
- 55.0
- Life Score / 100
- B+
- Grade (curved)
- #111
- of 387 metros
- 71%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Midland is above-median composite Life Score — #111 of 387 (55.0/100, grade B+, 71st percentile). Carried by childcare at 81/100; held back most by environment at 11/100.
- 71st
- composite percentile
- #111
- of 387 peers
- 63rd
- cost dimension percentile
- 66th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · BALANCED · signature composite
Midland: top-third composite Life Score
Midland clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#111 of 387, 55.0/100, grade B+, 71st percentile). Stamps UPPER · BALANCED; cost MID (63rd) · wages HIGH (66th). Childcare at 81/100 carries the lead; Environment (11/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Midland, MI ranks #111 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #144 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 91.9 (rent-RPP 66.7). BLS median salary $67,285, 29,130 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Registered Nurses, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,193/mo (studio $907).
FBI UCR (MI): 431 violent, 1395 property/100K. NCES: 16.7:1 ratio, 10.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,444/yr. EPA: 90 Superfund sites (MI).
Where Midland sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
55 71st percentile higher than 71% 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 55.0 is built
Midland's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Midland scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are MI state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Midland With...
Ranking Context
Midland outranks 71% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #108 | Roanoke, VA | 55.2 | B+ |
| #109 | Manhattan, KS | 55.2 | B+ |
| #110 | Laredo, TX | 55.2 | B+ |
| #111 | Midland, MI | 55.0 | B+ |
| #112 | Champaign-Urbana, IL | 55.0 | B+ |
| #113 | Cheyenne, WY | 54.9 | B+ |
| #114 | Springfield, IL | 54.9 | B+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Midland, MI's quality rank (top 29% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 37% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
MI Metro Scores
Read with Midland
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Midland (UPPER · BALANCED · MID/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Champaign-Urbana, IL
ABS(composite) peer at 55.0 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/HIGH.
Cheyenne, WY
ABS(composite) peer at 54.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/HIGH.
Springfield, IL
ABS(composite) peer at 54.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/HIGH.
Laredo, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 55.2 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/HIGH.
Bay City, MI (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 63/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Fayetteville, NC (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 63/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Midland, MI relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · BALANCED · MID/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Midland's top-third Life Score
Midland scores 55.0/100 overall, but Childcare (80.6) and Environment (11.1) sit 69.4 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Childcare is the strongest of Midland'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
- 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
- Battle Creek is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Battle Creek
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.