PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Niles, MI

56.5
Life Score / 100
B+
Grade (curved)
#102
of 387 metros
74%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Niles ranks #102 of 387 US metros, ahead of 74% - carried by its childcare (80/100) and held back most by safety (17/100).

80
strongest: Childcare
78
then: Schools
17
weakest: Safety
7
weighted dimensions

Where Niles sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

57 74th percentile higher than 74% 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%). Below this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Niles Life Score

Niles's composite score of 56.5 out of 100, a grade of B+, places the metro at rank #102 of 387, ahead of 74% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (80/100) and Schools (78/100), which pull the composite upward, while Safety (17/100) and Wages (48/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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: 17.5:1 ratio, 10.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,444/yr. EPA: 90 Superfund sites (MI). Ranks #99-#105 below.

Dimension detail

How Niles scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 61/100 (20%)
Wages 48/100 (20%)
Rent 66/100 (15%)
Safety 17/100 (15%)
Schools 78/100 (10%)
Childcare 80/100 (10%)
Environment 65/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

92.4
Cost Index (RPP)
$61,444
Avg Median Salary
$1,184
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)
51,600
Total Employment

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

Compare Niles With...

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

Ranking Context

Niles outranks 74% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#99 Lake Charles, LA 56.7 B+
#100 Anniston-Oxford, AL 56.7 B+
#101 Madison, WI 56.9 B+
#102 Niles, MI 56.5 B+
#103 Beckley, WV 56.5 B+
#104 Raleigh-Cary, NC 56.5 B+
#105 Alexandria, LA 56.4 B+

MI Metro Scores

Midland, MI A 62.6 Saginaw, MI A- 59.9 Jackson, MI B+ 56.2 Flint, MI B+ 56.1 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI B+ 55.6 Lansing-East Lansing, MI B+ 55.4

Using Niles's Life Score

Niles 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 (17/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Niles head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Niles 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 Niles's biggest strengths? ▼
Niles's strongest dimensions are Childcare (80/100), Schools (78/100), Rent (66/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Niles's weakest areas? ▼
Niles's lowest-scoring dimensions are Safety (17/100), Wages (48/100), Cost of Living (61/100). Safety weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Niles compared to the national average? ▼
Niles's Regional Price Parity is 92.4 (7.6% less than national); rent RPP 71.6.
What is the average salary in Niles? ▼
Niles median salary: $61,444, 51,600 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Niles's 56.5/100 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.