Metro Life Score
Morgantown, WV
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 69th percentile of the national corpus.
- 54.4
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #119
- of 387 metros
- 69%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Morgantown is above-median composite Life Score — #119 of 387 (54.4/100, grade B, 69th percentile). Carried by rent at 81/100; held back most by schools at 14/100.
- 69th
- composite percentile
- #119
- of 387 peers
- 52nd
- cost dimension percentile
- 25th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · BALANCED · signature wages
Morgantown: wage lag defines the peer set
Morgantown is a UPPER-band metro where wages sit at only the 25th percentile (LOW) while cost is MID (52nd) and composite #119. Schools at 14/100 is the clearest drag; Rent (81/100) is the offset. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Morgantown, WV ranks #119 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #186 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 93.3 (rent-RPP 69.1). BLS median salary $60,408, 57,550 jobs (Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons, Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary). HUD 2BR FMR $1,099/mo (studio $871).
FBI UCR (WV): 242 violent, 1089 property/100K. NCES: 13.3:1 ratio, 0.6% charter. DOL infant childcare $8,974/yr. EPA: 14 Superfund sites (WV).
Where Morgantown sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
54 69th percentile higher than 69% 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 54.4 is built
Morgantown's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Morgantown scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are WV state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Morgantown With...
Ranking Context
Morgantown outranks 69% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #116 | Macon-Bibb County, GA | 54.5 | B |
| #117 | Sheboygan, WI | 54.7 | B |
| #118 | Las Cruces, NM | 54.7 | B+ |
| #119 | Morgantown, WV | 54.4 | B |
| #120 | Rocky Mount, NC | 54.3 | B |
| #121 | Sandusky, OH | 54.3 | B |
| #122 | St. Joseph, MO-KS | 54.3 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Morgantown, WV is top 31% highest-quality nationally but only top 48% most affordable among its composite-quality peers -- its Life Score is earned mostly outside the cost dimension, not through being a budget option.
WV Metro Scores
Read with Morgantown
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Morgantown (UPPER · BALANCED · MID/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Macon-Bibb County, GA
ABS(composite) peer at 54.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Rocky Mount, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 54.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Sandusky, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 54.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
St. Joseph, MO-KS
ABS(composite) peer at 54.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Athens-Clarke County, GA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 52/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 52/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Morgantown, WV relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · BALANCED · MID/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Morgantown's top-third Life Score
Morgantown scores 54.4/100 overall, but Rent (81.3) and Schools (14.2) sit 67.1 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Rent is the strongest of Morgantown's seven dimensions (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Schools is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Huntington is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Huntington
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.