Metro Life Score
Ogden, UT
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B-, 51st percentile of the national corpus.
- 49.9
- Life Score / 100
- B-
- Grade (curved)
- #190
- of 387 metros
- 51%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Ogden is above-median composite Life Score — #190 of 387 (49.9/100, grade B-, 51st percentile). Carried by schools at 93/100; held back most by cost of living at 20/100.
- 51st
- composite percentile
- #190
- of 387 peers
- 20th
- cost dimension percentile
- 58th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · signature cost
Ogden: cost pressure is the outlier
Ogden is a MID-band metro where cost sits only at the 20th percentile (DEAR) — the clearest outlier vs wages at the 58th and composite #190. Cost of Living (20/100) is the main drag; Schools (93/100) keeps the floor. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Ogden, UT ranks #190 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #308 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 100.3 (rent-RPP 117.9). BLS median salary $65,644, 262,140 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, General and Operations Managers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,614/mo (studio $1,208).
FBI UCR (UT): 229 violent, 1435 property/100K. NCES: 20.3:1 ratio, 13.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,828/yr. EPA: 24 Superfund sites (UT).
Where Ogden sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
50 51st percentile higher than 51% 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 49.9 is built
Ogden's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Ogden scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are UT state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Ogden With...
Ranking Context
Ogden outranks 51% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #187 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 50.0 | B- |
| #188 | Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 50.1 | B- |
| #189 | Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | 50.1 | B- |
| #190 | Ogden, UT | 49.9 | B- |
| #191 | Goldsboro, NC | 49.9 | B- |
| #192 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 49.8 | B- |
| #193 | Fort Smith, AR-OK | 49.8 | B- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Ogden, UT is top 49% highest-quality nationally but only bottom 21% least affordable among its composite-quality peers -- its Life Score is earned mostly outside the cost dimension, not through being a budget option.
UT Metro Scores
Read with Ogden
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Ogden (MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Goldsboro, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 49.9 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/MID.
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 49.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/MID.
Fort Smith, AR-OK
ABS(composite) peer at 49.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/MID.
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
ABS(composite) peer at 50.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/MID.
Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 20/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 21/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Ogden, UT relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Ogden's middle-third Life Score
Ogden scores 49.9/100 overall, but Schools (92.7) and Cost of Living (20.5) sit 72.3 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Schools is the strongest of Ogden'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
- Cost of Living is the weakest (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Salt Lake City is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Salt Lake City
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.