Metro Life Score
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C+, 38th percentile of the national corpus.
- 47.0
- Life Score / 100
- C+
- Grade (curved)
- #239
- of 387 metros
- 38%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford is below-median composite Life Score — #239 of 387 (47.0/100, grade C+, 38th percentile). Carried by safety at 93/100; held back most by rent at 9/100.
- 38th
- composite percentile
- #239
- of 387 peers
- 16th
- cost dimension percentile
- 57th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SAFE-LED · signature cost
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: cost pressure is the outlier
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford is a MID-band metro where cost sits only at the 16th percentile (DEAR) — the clearest outlier vs wages at the 57th and composite #239. Rent (9/100) is the main drag; Safety (93/100) keeps the floor. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL ranks #239 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #325 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 101.4 (rent-RPP 123.4). BLS median salary $65,387, 1,382,410 jobs (Retail Salespersons, Waiters and Waitresses, Customer Service Representatives). HUD 2BR FMR $1,972/mo (studio $1,650).
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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
47 38th percentile higher than 38% 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 47.0 is built
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford 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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford With...
Ranking Context
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford outranks 38% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #236 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 47.1 | C+ |
| #237 | Carson City, NV | 47.2 | C+ |
| #238 | Tucson, AZ | 47.3 | C+ |
| #239 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 47.0 | C+ |
| #240 | Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 47.0 | C+ |
| #241 | Kansas City, MO-KS | 46.9 | C+ |
| #242 | Bend, OR | 46.8 | C+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL is bottom 39% lowest-quality nationally but only bottom 16% least affordable among its composite-quality peers -- its Life Score is earned mostly outside the cost dimension, not through being a budget option.
FL Metro Scores
Read with Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford (MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV
ABS(composite) peer at 47.0 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID.
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 47.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID.
Kansas City, MO-KS
ABS(composite) peer at 46.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID.
Bend, OR
ABS(composite) peer at 46.8 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID.
Medford, OR (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 16/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Chico, CA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 16/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford's middle-third Life Score
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford scores 47.0/100 overall, but Safety (93.3) and Rent (8.8) sit 84.5 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford'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
- 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
- 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.