Metro Life Score
Ocala, FL
Below-median composite Life Score — grade B-, 47th percentile of the national corpus.
- 49.1
- Life Score / 100
- B-
- Grade (curved)
- #205
- of 387 metros
- 47%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Ocala is below-median composite Life Score — #205 of 387 (49.1/100, grade B-, 47th percentile). Carried by safety at 94/100; held back most by wages at 18/100.
- 47th
- composite percentile
- #205
- of 387 peers
- 42nd
- cost dimension percentile
- 18th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SAFE-LED · signature wages
Ocala: wage lag defines the peer set
Ocala is a MID-band metro where wages sit at only the 18th percentile (LOW) while cost is MID (42nd) and composite #205. Wages at 18/100 is the clearest drag; Safety (94/100) is the offset. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Ocala, FL ranks #205 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #226 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 95.2 (rent-RPP 86.2). BLS median salary $58,879, 110,400 jobs (Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,373/mo (studio $1,126).
FBI UCR (FL): 210 violent, 1030 property/100K. NCES: 17.8:1 ratio, 18.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $10,505/yr. EPA: 81 Superfund sites (FL).
Where Ocala sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
49 47th percentile higher than 47% 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 49.1 is built
Ocala's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Ocala scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are FL state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Ocala With...
Ranking Context
Ocala outranks 47% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #202 | Reno, NV | 49.2 | B- |
| #203 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 49.2 | B- |
| #204 | Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | 49.3 | B- |
| #205 | Ocala, FL | 49.1 | B- |
| #206 | Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | 49.1 | B- |
| #207 | Columbia, MO | 49.0 | B- |
| #208 | Kalamazoo-Portage, MI | 49.0 | B- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Ocala, FL's quality rank (bottom 47% lowest-quality) and affordability rank (bottom 42% least affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
FL Metro Scores
Read with Ocala
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Ocala (MID · SAFE-LED · MID/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA
ABS(composite) peer at 49.1 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/LOW.
Columbia, MO
ABS(composite) peer at 49.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/LOW.
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
ABS(composite) peer at 49.2 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/LOW.
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 49.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/LOW.
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 41/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Savannah, GA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 42/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Ocala, FL relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SAFE-LED · MID/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Ocala's middle-third Life Score
Ocala scores 49.1/100 overall, but Safety (93.5) and Wages (17.9) sit 75.6 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Ocala'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
- Wages is the weakest (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Wildwood is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Wildwood
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.