Metro Life Score
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B-, 51st percentile of the national corpus.
- 50.0
- Life Score / 100
- B-
- Grade (curved)
- #188
- of 387 metros
- 51%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Milwaukee-Waukesha is above-median composite Life Score — #188 of 387 (50.0/100, grade B-, 51st percentile). Carried by wages at 81/100; held back most by environment at 25/100.
- 51st
- composite percentile
- #188
- of 387 peers
- 33rd
- cost dimension percentile
- 80th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · WAGE-LED · signature wages
Milwaukee-Waukesha: pay power is the signature
Milwaukee-Waukesha stamps MID · WAGE-LED with wages at the 80th percentile of the metro corpus (HIGH) — ahead of its cost mark (DEAR, 33rd) and composite #188. Wages (81/100) amplifies the lead; Environment (25/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI ranks #188 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #258 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 96.9 (rent-RPP 97.1). BLS median salary $71,499, 800,340 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Registered Nurses, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand). HUD 2BR FMR $1,338/mo (studio $1,027).
FBI UCR (WI): 280 violent, 1157 property/100K. NCES: 14.1:1 ratio, 10.6% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,256/yr. EPA: 46 Superfund sites (WI).
Where Milwaukee-Waukesha sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
50 51st percentile higher than 51% 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 50.0 is built
Milwaukee-Waukesha's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Milwaukee-Waukesha scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are WI state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Milwaukee-Waukesha With...
Ranking Context
Milwaukee-Waukesha outranks 51% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #185 | Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 50.1 | B- |
| #186 | Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | 50.1 | B- |
| #187 | Athens-Clarke County, GA | 50.2 | B- |
| #188 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 50.0 | B- |
| #189 | Goldsboro, NC | 49.9 | B- |
| #190 | Ogden, UT | 49.9 | B- |
| #191 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 49.8 | B- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI is top 49% highest-quality nationally but only bottom 34% least affordable among its composite-quality peers -- its Life Score is earned mostly outside the cost dimension, not through being a budget option.
WI Metro Scores
Read with Milwaukee-Waukesha
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Milwaukee-Waukesha (MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Goldsboro, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 49.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
ABS(composite) peer at 50.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Ogden, UT
ABS(composite) peer at 49.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 50.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Tucson, AZ (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 34/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 33/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Milwaukee-Waukesha's middle-third Life Score
Milwaukee-Waukesha scores 50.0/100 overall, but Wages (80.6) and Environment (25.1) sit 55.4 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Wages is the strongest of Milwaukee-Waukesha's seven dimensions (weighted 20% 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
- Oshkosh is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Oshkosh
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.