Metro Life Score
Odessa, TX
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C+, 40th percentile of the national corpus.
- 47.4
- Life Score / 100
- C+
- Grade (curved)
- #232
- of 387 metros
- 40%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Odessa is below-median composite Life Score — #232 of 387 (47.4/100, grade C+, 40th percentile). Carried by environment at 88/100; held back most by rent at 25/100.
- 40th
- composite percentile
- #232
- of 387 peers
- 48th
- cost dimension percentile
- 42nd
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · ENVIRO-LED · signature composite
Odessa: mid-curve composite with a readable shape
Odessa is a mid-curve MID · ENVIRO-LED metro (composite #232, 47.4/100, 40th percentile). Cost MID (48th) · wages MID (42nd). Strongest environment 88/100; weakest rent 25/100; dimension gap 62. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Odessa, TX ranks #232 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #203 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 93.9 (rent-RPP 89.7). BLS median salary $62,946, 73,580 jobs (Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, Fast Food and Counter Workers, General and Operations Managers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,595/mo (studio $1,245).
FBI UCR (TX): 395 violent, 2058 property/100K. NCES: 14.4:1 ratio, 11.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,566/yr. EPA: 70 Superfund sites (TX).
Where Odessa sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
47 40th percentile higher than 40% 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 47.4 is built
Odessa's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Odessa scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are TX state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Odessa With...
Ranking Context
Odessa outranks 40% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #229 | Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL | 47.5 | C+ |
| #230 | Hot Springs, AR | 47.5 | C+ |
| #231 | Grants Pass, OR | 47.6 | C+ |
| #232 | Odessa, TX | 47.4 | C+ |
| #233 | Columbus, IN | 47.4 | C+ |
| #234 | Salem, OR | 47.3 | C+ |
| #235 | South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI | 47.3 | C+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Odessa, TX's quality rank (bottom 40% lowest-quality) and affordability rank (bottom 48% least affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
TX Metro Scores
Read with Odessa
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Odessa (MID · ENVIRO-LED · MID/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Columbus, IN
ABS(composite) peer at 47.4 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · MID/MID.
Hot Springs, AR
ABS(composite) peer at 47.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · MID/MID.
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 47.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · MID/MID.
Salem, OR
ABS(composite) peer at 47.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · MID/MID.
Casper, WY (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 48/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Tallahassee, FL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 47/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Odessa, TX relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · ENVIRO-LED · MID/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Odessa's middle-third Life Score
Odessa scores 47.4/100 overall, but Environment (87.8) and Rent (25.4) sit 62.4 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Environment is the strongest of Odessa'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
- Rent is the weakest (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Beaumont is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Beaumont
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.