Metro Life Score
Midland, TX
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B-, 55th percentile of the national corpus.
- 50.8
- Life Score / 100
- B-
- Grade (curved)
- #175
- of 387 metros
- 55%
- 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 — #175 of 387 (50.8/100, grade B-, 55th percentile). Carried by environment at 88/100; held back most by rent at 16/100.
- 55th
- composite percentile
- #175
- of 387 peers
- 39th
- cost dimension percentile
- 74th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · ENVIRO-LED · signature wages
Midland: pay power is the signature
Midland stamps MID · ENVIRO-LED with wages at the 74th percentile of the metro corpus (HIGH) — ahead of its cost mark (DEAR, 39th) and composite #175. Environment (88/100) amplifies the lead; Rent (16/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Midland, TX ranks #175 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #238 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 95.8 (rent-RPP 101.5). BLS median salary $70,012, 113,700 jobs (General and Operations Managers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, Roustabouts, Oil and Gas). HUD 2BR FMR $1,772/mo (studio $1,422).
FBI UCR (TX): 395 violent, 2058 property/100K. NCES: 14.4:1 ratio, 11.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,566/yr. EPA: 70 Superfund sites (TX).
Where Midland sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
51 55th percentile higher than 55% 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 50.8 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 TX 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 55% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #172 | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 51.0 | B- |
| #173 | Richmond, VA | 51.2 | B- |
| #174 | Fort Wayne, IN | 51.2 | B- |
| #175 | Midland, TX | 50.8 | B- |
| #176 | Abilene, TX | 50.8 | B- |
| #177 | Gainesville, FL | 50.8 | B- |
| #178 | Logan, UT-ID | 50.8 | B- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Midland, TX is top 45% highest-quality nationally but only bottom 39% least affordable among its composite-quality peers -- its Life Score is earned mostly outside the cost dimension, not through being a budget option.
TX Metro Scores
Read with Midland
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Midland (MID · ENVIRO-LED · DEAR/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Abilene, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 50.8 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Gainesville, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 50.8 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Logan, UT-ID
ABS(composite) peer at 50.8 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Longview-Kelso, WA
ABS(composite) peer at 50.8 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 38/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Syracuse, NY (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 39/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Midland, TX relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · ENVIRO-LED · DEAR/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Midland's middle-third Life Score
Midland scores 50.8/100 overall, but Environment (87.6) and Rent (16.1) sit 71.5 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Environment 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
- Rent is the weakest (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Beaumont is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Beaumont
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.