Metro Life Score
Morristown, TN
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C+, 33rd percentile of the national corpus.
- 45.7
- Life Score / 100
- C+
- Grade (curved)
- #261
- of 387 metros
- 33%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Morristown is below-median composite Life Score — #261 of 387 (45.7/100, grade C+, 33rd percentile). Carried by cost of living at 94/100; held back most by safety at 2/100.
- 33rd
- composite percentile
- #261
- of 387 peers
- 93rd
- cost dimension percentile
- 6th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · LOWER · COST-LED · signature wages
Morristown: wage lag defines the peer set
Morristown is a LOWER-band metro where wages sit at only the 6th percentile (LOW) while cost is FLOOR (93rd) and composite #261. Safety at 2/100 is the clearest drag; Cost of Living (94/100) is the offset. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Morristown, TN ranks #261 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #26 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 86.4 (rent-RPP 59.0). BLS median salary $56,102, 40,720 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand). HUD 2BR FMR $1,135/mo (studio $881).
FBI UCR (TN): 602 violent, 2058 property/100K. NCES: 15.2:1 ratio, 6.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,860/yr. EPA: 26 Superfund sites (TN).
Where Morristown sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
46 33rd percentile higher than 33% 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 45.7 is built
Morristown's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Morristown scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are TN state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Morristown With...
Ranking Context
Morristown outranks 33% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #258 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 45.8 | C+ |
| #259 | Wilmington, NC | 45.9 | C+ |
| #260 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 45.9 | C+ |
| #261 | Morristown, TN | 45.7 | C+ |
| #262 | Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 45.7 | C+ |
| #263 | Spartanburg, SC | 45.7 | C+ |
| #264 | Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 45.5 | C+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Morristown, TN is bottom 33% lowest-quality nationally and also top 7% most affordable -- a rarer combination among its composite-quality peers, where overall rank and affordability rank usually diverge more than this.
TN Metro Scores
Read with Morristown
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Morristown (LOWER · COST-LED · FLOOR/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Bakersfield-Delano, CA
ABS(composite) peer at 45.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's LOWER · COST-LED · FLOOR/LOW.
Spartanburg, SC
ABS(composite) peer at 45.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's LOWER · COST-LED · FLOOR/LOW.
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 45.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's LOWER · COST-LED · FLOOR/LOW.
Grand Junction, CO
ABS(composite) peer at 45.9 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's LOWER · COST-LED · FLOOR/LOW.
St. Joseph, MO-KS (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 93/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp FLOOR vs this metro's FLOOR.
Paducah, KY-IL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 94/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp FLOOR vs this metro's FLOOR.
Morristown, TN relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for LOWER · COST-LED · FLOOR/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Morristown's bottom-third Life Score
Morristown scores 45.7/100 overall, but Cost of Living (93.5) and Safety (2.1) sit 91.5 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Cost of Living is the strongest of Morristown'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
- Safety is the weakest (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Kingsport is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Kingsport
A low composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can still be strong.