PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Odessa, TX

42.4
Life Score / 100
C
Grade (curved)
#298
of 387 metros
23%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Odessa ranks #298 of 387 US metros, ahead of 23% - carried by its childcare (74/100) and held back most by rent (25/100).

74
strongest: Childcare
66
then: Environment
25
weakest: Rent
7
weighted dimensions

Where Odessa sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

42 23th percentile higher than 23% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 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 Odessa Life Score

Odessa's composite score of 42.4 out of 100, a grade of C, places the metro at rank #298 of 387, ahead of 23% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (74/100) and Environment (66/100), which pull the composite upward, while Rent (25/100) and Safety (31/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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: 14.7:1 ratio, 11.4% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,566/yr. EPA: 70 Superfund sites (TX). Ranks #295-#301 below.

Dimension detail

How Odessa scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 48/100 (20%)
Wages 32/100 (20%)
Rent 25/100 (15%)
Safety 31/100 (15%)
Schools 41/100 (10%)
Childcare 74/100 (10%)
Environment 66/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

93.9
Cost Index (RPP)
$62,946
Avg Median Salary
$1,595
2BR Fair Market Rent
395
Violent Crime/100K (TX)
14.7:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,566
Infant Childcare/yr (TX)
70
Superfund Sites (TX)
73,580
Total Employment

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

Compare Odessa With...

Odessa vs Texarkana Compare → Odessa vs Waco Compare → Odessa vs San Antonio Compare → Odessa vs Wildwood Compare → Odessa vs Waterloo Compare → Odessa vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Odessa outranks 23% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#295 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN 42.5 C
#296 Corpus Christi, TX 42.6 C
#297 Merced, CA 42.8 C
#298 Odessa, TX 42.4 C
#299 Cleveland, TN 42.4 C
#300 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 42.4 C
#301 Rochester, NY 42.3 C

TX Metro Scores

Texarkana, TX-AR A- 60.7 Waco, TX B+ 58.2 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX B+ 57.6 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX B 55.0 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX B 54.9 Wichita Falls, TX B 53.9

Using Odessa's Life Score

Odessa 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 (74/100) and its weakest is rent (25/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Odessa head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Odessa 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 Odessa's biggest strengths? ▼
Odessa's strongest dimensions are Childcare (74/100), Environment (66/100), Cost of Living (48/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Odessa's weakest areas? ▼
Odessa's lowest-scoring dimensions are Rent (25/100), Safety (31/100), Wages (32/100). Rent weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Odessa compared to the national average? ▼
Odessa's Regional Price Parity is 93.9 (6.1% less than national); rent RPP 89.7.
What is the average salary in Odessa? ▼
Odessa median salary: $62,946, 73,580 jobs. Top: Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, Fast Food and Counter Workers, General and Operations Managers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Odessa's 42.4/100 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.