PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI

50.7
Life Score / 100
B-
Grade (curved)
#186
of 387 metros
52%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Muskegon ranks #186 of 387 US metros, ahead of 52% - carried by its childcare (80/100) and held back most by safety (18/100).

80
strongest: Childcare
78
then: Schools
18
weakest: Safety
7
weighted dimensions

Where Muskegon sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

51 52th percentile higher than 52% 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%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Muskegon Life Score

Muskegon's composite score of 50.7 out of 100, a grade of B-, places the metro at rank #186 of 387, ahead of 52% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (80/100) and Schools (78/100), which pull the composite upward, while Safety (18/100) and Wages (26/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 92.5 (rent-RPP 74.2). BLS median salary $60,860, 53,710 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,236/mo (studio $866).

FBI UCR (MI): 431 violent, 1395 property/100K. NCES: 17.5:1 ratio, 10.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,444/yr. EPA: 90 Superfund sites (MI). Ranks #183-#189 below.

Dimension detail

How Muskegon scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 60/100 (20%)
Wages 26/100 (20%)
Rent 59/100 (15%)
Safety 18/100 (15%)
Schools 78/100 (10%)
Childcare 80/100 (10%)
Environment 63/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

92.5
Cost Index (RPP)
$60,860
Avg Median Salary
$1,236
2BR Fair Market Rent
431
Violent Crime/100K (MI)
17.5:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,444
Infant Childcare/yr (MI)
90
Superfund Sites (MI)
53,710
Total Employment

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

Compare Muskegon With...

Muskegon vs Midland Compare → Muskegon vs Saginaw Compare → Muskegon vs Niles Compare → Muskegon vs Wildwood Compare → Muskegon vs Waterloo Compare → Muskegon vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Muskegon outranks 52% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#183 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA 50.8 B-
#184 Laredo, TX 50.8 B-
#185 Homosassa Springs, FL 51.0 B-
#186 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI 50.7 B-
#187 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 50.7 B-
#188 Logan, UT-ID 50.7 B-
#189 Enid, OK * 50.3 B-

MI Metro Scores

Midland, MI A 62.6 Saginaw, MI A- 59.9 Niles, MI B+ 56.5 Jackson, MI B+ 56.2 Flint, MI B+ 56.1 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI B+ 55.6

Using Muskegon's Life Score

Muskegon 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 childcare (80/100) and its weakest is safety (18/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Muskegon head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Muskegon 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 Muskegon's biggest strengths? ▼
Muskegon's strongest dimensions are Childcare (80/100), Schools (78/100), Environment (63/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Muskegon's weakest areas? ▼
Muskegon's lowest-scoring dimensions are Safety (18/100), Wages (26/100), Rent (59/100). Safety weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Muskegon compared to the national average? ▼
Muskegon's Regional Price Parity is 92.5 (7.5% less than national); rent RPP 74.2.
What is the average salary in Muskegon? ▼
Muskegon median salary: $60,860, 53,710 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Muskegon's 50.7/100 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.