PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Modesto, CA

40.2
Life Score / 100
C-
Grade (curved)
#322
of 387 metros
17%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Modesto ranks #322 of 387 US metros, ahead of 17% - carried by its schools (94/100) and held back most by childcare (7/100).

94
strongest: Schools
90
then: Wages
7
weakest: Childcare
7
weighted dimensions

Where Modesto sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

40 17th percentile higher than 17% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 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 Modesto Life Score

Modesto's composite score of 40.2 out of 100, a grade of C-, places the metro at rank #322 of 387, ahead of 17% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Schools (94/100) and Wages (90/100), which pull the composite upward, while Childcare (7/100) and Cost of Living (9/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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: 21.5:1 ratio, 12.8% charter. DOL infant childcare $17,920/yr. EPA: 116 Superfund sites (CA). Ranks #319-#325 below.

Dimension detail

How Modesto scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 9/100 (20%)
Wages 90/100 (20%)
Rent 16/100 (15%)
Safety 12/100 (15%)
Schools 94/100 (10%)
Childcare 7/100 (10%)
Environment 61/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

104.1
Cost Index (RPP)
$72,702
Avg Median Salary
$1,758
2BR Fair Market Rent
477
Violent Crime/100K (CA)
21.5:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$17,920
Infant Childcare/yr (CA)
116
Superfund Sites (CA)
187,990
Total Employment

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

Compare Modesto With...

Modesto vs El Centro Compare → Modesto vs Visalia Compare → Modesto vs Redding Compare → Modesto vs Wildwood Compare → Modesto vs Waterloo Compare → Modesto vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Modesto outranks 17% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#319 Grants Pass, OR 40.3 C-
#320 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 40.5 C-
#321 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 40.6 C-
#322 Modesto, CA 40.2 C-
#323 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN 40.1 C-
#324 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 40.0 C-
#325 Elmira, NY 39.9 C-

CA Metro Scores

El Centro, CA C+ 46.7 Visalia, CA C 45.2 Redding, CA C 43.7 Yuba City, CA C 43.3 Merced, CA C 42.8 Vallejo, CA C 41.9

Using Modesto's Life Score

Modesto 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 schools (94/100) and its weakest is childcare (7/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Modesto head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Modesto 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 Modesto's biggest strengths? ▼
Modesto's strongest dimensions are Schools (94/100), Wages (90/100), Environment (61/100). Schools is top-tier nationally.
What are Modesto's weakest areas? ▼
Modesto's lowest-scoring dimensions are Childcare (7/100), Cost of Living (9/100), Safety (12/100). Childcare weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Modesto compared to the national average? ▼
Modesto's Regional Price Parity is 104.1 (4.1% more than national); rent RPP 108.5.
What is the average salary in Modesto? ▼
Modesto median salary: $72,702, 187,990 jobs. Top: Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Modesto's 40.2/100 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.