PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Midland, TX

48.5
Life Score / 100
C+
Grade (curved)
#217
of 387 metros
44%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Midland ranks #217 of 387 US metros, ahead of 44% - carried by its wages (81/100) and held back most by rent (16/100).

81
strongest: Wages
74
then: Childcare
16
weakest: Rent
7
weighted dimensions

Where Midland sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

49 44th percentile higher than 44% 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 Midland Life Score

Midland's composite score of 48.5 out of 100, a grade of C+, places the metro at rank #217 of 387, ahead of 44% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Wages (81/100) and Childcare (74/100), which pull the composite upward, while Rent (16/100) and Safety (32/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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: 14.7:1 ratio, 11.4% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,566/yr. EPA: 70 Superfund sites (TX). Ranks #214-#220 below.

Dimension detail

How Midland scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 39/100 (20%)
Wages 81/100 (20%)
Rent 16/100 (15%)
Safety 32/100 (15%)
Schools 40/100 (10%)
Childcare 74/100 (10%)
Environment 59/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

95.8
Cost Index (RPP)
$70,012
Avg Median Salary
$1,772
2BR Fair Market Rent
395
Violent Crime/100K (TX)
14.7:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,566
Infant Childcare/yr (TX)
70
Superfund Sites (TX)
113,700
Total Employment

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

Compare Midland With...

Midland vs Texarkana Compare → Midland vs Waco Compare → Midland vs San Antonio Compare → Midland vs Wildwood Compare → Midland vs Waterloo Compare → Midland vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Midland outranks 44% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#214 Savannah, GA 48.6 B-
#215 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA 48.6 B-
#216 Waterbury-Shelton, CT 48.7 B-
#217 Midland, TX 48.5 C+
#218 Kennewick-Richland, WA 48.5 B-
#219 Las Cruces, NM 48.1 C+
#220 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA 48.1 C+

TX Metro Scores

Texarkana, TX-AR A- 60.7 Waco, TX B+ 58.2 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX B+ 57.6 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX B 55.0 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX B 54.9 Wichita Falls, TX B 53.9

Using Midland's Life Score

Midland 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 wages (81/100) and its weakest is rent (16/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Midland head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Midland 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 Midland's biggest strengths? ▼
Midland's strongest dimensions are Wages (81/100), Childcare (74/100), Environment (59/100). Wages is top-tier nationally.
What are Midland's weakest areas? ▼
Midland's lowest-scoring dimensions are Rent (16/100), Safety (32/100), Cost of Living (39/100). Rent weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Midland compared to the national average? ▼
Midland's Regional Price Parity is 95.8 (4.2% less than national); rent RPP 101.5.
What is the average salary in Midland? ▼
Midland median salary: $70,012, 113,700 jobs. Top: General and Operations Managers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, Roustabouts, Oil and Gas.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Midland's 48.5/100 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.