Metro Life Score
Modesto, CA
Bottom-quartile composite Life Score — grade C-, 13th percentile of the national corpus.
- 40.5
- Life Score / 100
- C-
- Grade (curved)
- #337
- of 387 metros
- 13%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Modesto is bottom-quartile composite Life Score — #337 of 387 (40.5/100, grade C-, 13th percentile). Carried by schools at 96/100; held back most by childcare at 7/100.
- 13th
- composite percentile
- #337
- of 387 peers
- 9th
- cost dimension percentile
- 83rd
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · signature cost
Modesto: cost pressure is the outlier
Modesto is a LOWER-band metro where cost sits only at the 9th percentile (CEILING) — the clearest outlier vs wages at the 83rd and composite #337. Childcare (7/100) is the main drag; Schools (96/100) keeps the floor. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Modesto, CA ranks #337 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #353 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 104.1 (rent-RPP 108.5). BLS median salary $72,702, 187,990 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,758/mo (studio $1,255).
FBI UCR (CA): 477 violent, 1986 property/100K. NCES: 20.8:1 ratio, 12.8% charter. DOL infant childcare $17,920/yr. EPA: 116 Superfund sites (CA).
Where Modesto sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
41 13th percentile higher than 13% 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 40.5 is built
Modesto's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Modesto scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are CA state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Modesto With...
Ranking Context
Modesto outranks 13% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #334 | Helena, MT | 40.7 | C- |
| #335 | Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 40.7 | C- |
| #336 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area | 40.7 | C- |
| #337 | Modesto, CA | 40.5 | C- |
| #338 | Vallejo, CA | 40.5 | C- |
| #339 | Anchorage, AK | 40.4 | C- |
| #340 | Flagstaff, AZ | 40.3 | C- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Modesto, CA's quality rank (bottom 13% lowest-quality) and affordability rank (bottom 9% least affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
CA Metro Scores
Read with Modesto
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Modesto (LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · CEILING/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Vallejo, CA
ABS(composite) peer at 40.5 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C- vs this page's LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · CEILING/HIGH.
Anchorage, AK
ABS(composite) peer at 40.4 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C- vs this page's LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · CEILING/HIGH.
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area
ABS(composite) peer at 40.7 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C- vs this page's LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · CEILING/HIGH.
Flagstaff, AZ
ABS(composite) peer at 40.3 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C- vs this page's LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · CEILING/HIGH.
Corvallis, OR (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 9/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CEILING vs this metro's CEILING.
Yuba City, CA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 9/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CEILING vs this metro's CEILING.
Modesto, CA relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · CEILING/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Modesto's bottom-third Life Score
Modesto scores 40.5/100 overall, but Schools (95.6) and Childcare (7.1) sit 88.5 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Schools is the strongest of Modesto'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
- Childcare is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- El Centro is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with El Centro
A low composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can still be strong.