PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Oshkosh-Neenah, WI

60.1
Life Score / 100
A-
Grade (curved)
#54
of 387 metros
86%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Oshkosh ranks #54 of 387 US metros, ahead of 86% - carried by its rent (73/100) and held back most by childcare (40/100).

73
strongest: Rent
68
then: Wages
40
weakest: Childcare
7
weighted dimensions

Where Oshkosh sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

60 Top 14% higher than 86% 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%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Below this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Below this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Oshkosh Life Score

Oshkosh's composite score of 60.1 out of 100, a grade of A-, places the metro at rank #54 of 387, ahead of 86% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Rent (73/100) and Wages (68/100), which pull the composite upward, while Childcare (40/100) and Schools (48/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 92.9 (rent-RPP 74.4). BLS median salary $68,194, 86,380 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,149/mo (studio $875).

FBI UCR (WI): 280 violent, 1157 property/100K. NCES: 14.4:1 ratio, 10.7% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,256/yr. EPA: 46 Superfund sites (WI). Ranks #51-#57 below.

Dimension detail

How Oshkosh scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 54/100 (20%)
Wages 68/100 (20%)
Rent 73/100 (15%)
Safety 60/100 (15%)
Schools 48/100 (10%)
Childcare 40/100 (10%)
Environment 67/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

92.9
Cost Index (RPP)
$68,194
Avg Median Salary
$1,149
2BR Fair Market Rent
280
Violent Crime/100K (WI)
14.4:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$11,256
Infant Childcare/yr (WI)
46
Superfund Sites (WI)
86,380
Total Employment

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

Compare Oshkosh With...

Oshkosh vs Wausau Compare → Oshkosh vs Duluth Compare → Oshkosh vs Sheboygan Compare → Oshkosh vs Wildwood Compare → Oshkosh vs Waterloo Compare → Oshkosh vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Oshkosh outranks 86% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#51 Florence, SC 60.2 A-
#52 Duluth, MN-WI 60.2 A-
#53 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN 60.3 A-
#54 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI 60.1 A-
#55 Springfield, OH 60.1 A-
#56 Mansfield, OH 59.9 A-
#57 Saginaw, MI 59.9 A-

WI Metro Scores

Wausau, WI A- 61.1 Duluth, MN-WI A- 60.2 Sheboygan, WI A- 59.8 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN A- 59.1 Madison, WI B+ 56.9 Fond du Lac, WI B+ 55.6

Using Oshkosh's Life Score

Oshkosh 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 rent (73/100) and its weakest is childcare (40/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Oshkosh head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Oshkosh 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 Oshkosh's biggest strengths? ▼
Oshkosh's strongest dimensions are Rent (73/100), Wages (68/100), Environment (67/100). Rent is top-tier nationally.
What are Oshkosh's weakest areas? ▼
Oshkosh's lowest-scoring dimensions are Childcare (40/100), Schools (48/100), Cost of Living (54/100).
How expensive is Oshkosh compared to the national average? ▼
Oshkosh's Regional Price Parity is 92.9 (7.1% less than national); rent RPP 74.4.
What is the average salary in Oshkosh? ▼
Oshkosh median salary: $68,194, 86,380 jobs. Top: Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Registered Nurses.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Oshkosh's 60.1/100 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.