Metro Life Score
Monroe, MI
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C+, 34th percentile of the national corpus.
- 46.0
- Life Score / 100
- C+
- Grade (curved)
- #254
- of 387 metros
- 34%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Monroe is below-median composite Life Score — #254 of 387 (46.0/100, grade C+, 34th percentile). Carried by childcare at 80/100; held back most by environment at 11/100.
- 34th
- composite percentile
- #254
- of 387 peers
- 50th
- cost dimension percentile
- 45th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · LOWER · BALANCED · signature composite
Monroe: mid-curve composite with a readable shape
Monroe is a mid-curve LOWER · BALANCED metro (composite #254, 46.0/100, 34th percentile). Cost MID (50th) · wages MID (45th). Strongest childcare 80/100; weakest environment 11/100; dimension gap 69. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Monroe, MI ranks #254 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #192 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 93.5 (rent-RPP 74.6). BLS median salary $63,524, 35,090 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,326/mo (studio $914).
FBI UCR (MI): 431 violent, 1395 property/100K. NCES: 16.7:1 ratio, 10.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,444/yr. EPA: 90 Superfund sites (MI).
Where Monroe sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
46 34th percentile higher than 34% 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 46.0 is built
Monroe's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Monroe scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are MI state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Monroe With...
Ranking Context
Monroe outranks 34% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #251 | Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI | 46.1 | C+ |
| #252 | Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL | 46.2 | C+ |
| #253 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 46.2 | C+ |
| #254 | Monroe, MI | 46.0 | C+ |
| #255 | Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL | 46.0 | C+ |
| #256 | Lewiston-Auburn, ME | 46.0 | C+ |
| #257 | Grand Junction, CO | 45.9 | C+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Monroe, MI is bottom 35% lowest-quality nationally and also top 50% most affordable -- a rarer combination among its composite-quality peers, where overall rank and affordability rank usually diverge more than this.
MI Metro Scores
Read with Monroe
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Monroe (LOWER · BALANCED · MID/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 46.0 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's LOWER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Lewiston-Auburn, ME
ABS(composite) peer at 46.0 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's LOWER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Grand Junction, CO
ABS(composite) peer at 45.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's LOWER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
ABS(composite) peer at 45.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's LOWER · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Billings, MT (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 50/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Homosassa Springs, FL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 51/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Monroe, MI relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for LOWER · BALANCED · MID/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Monroe's middle-third Life Score
Monroe scores 46.0/100 overall, but Childcare (80.3) and Environment (11.4) sit 68.9 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Childcare is the strongest of Monroe'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
- 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
- Battle Creek is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Battle Creek
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.