Metro Life Score
Niles, MI
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C+, 43rd percentile of the national corpus.
- 48.1
- Life Score / 100
- C+
- Grade (curved)
- #219
- of 387 metros
- 43%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Niles is below-median composite Life Score — #219 of 387 (48.1/100, grade C+, 43rd percentile). Carried by childcare at 80/100; held back most by environment at 12/100.
- 43rd
- composite percentile
- #219
- of 387 peers
- 60th
- cost dimension percentile
- 33rd
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · BALANCED · signature wages
Niles: wage lag defines the peer set
Niles is a MID-band metro where wages sit at only the 33rd percentile (LOW) while cost is MID (60th) and composite #219. Environment at 12/100 is the clearest drag; Childcare (80/100) is the offset. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Niles, MI ranks #219 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #153 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 92.4 (rent-RPP 71.6). BLS median salary $61,444, 51,600 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,184/mo (studio $816).
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 Niles sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
48 43rd percentile higher than 43% 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 48.1 is built
Niles's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Niles 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 Niles With...
Ranking Context
Niles outranks 43% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #216 | Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 48.2 | C+ |
| #217 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 48.2 | B- |
| #218 | Charlottesville, VA | 48.3 | B- |
| #219 | Niles, MI | 48.1 | C+ |
| #220 | Jacksonville, NC | 48.1 | C+ |
| #221 | Portland-South Portland, ME | 48.1 | C+ |
| #222 | Chambersburg, PA | 48.0 | C+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Niles, MI is bottom 44% lowest-quality nationally and also top 40% 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 Niles
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Niles (MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Jacksonville, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 48.1 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Portland-South Portland, ME
ABS(composite) peer at 48.1 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Chambersburg, PA
ABS(composite) peer at 48.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 48.2 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW.
Appleton, WI (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 60/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Williamsport, PA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 61/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Niles, MI relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · BALANCED · MID/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Niles's middle-third Life Score
Niles scores 48.1/100 overall, but Childcare (79.7) and Environment (11.9) sit 67.8 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Childcare is the strongest of Niles'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.