Metro Life Score
Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B-, 55th percentile of the national corpus.
- 50.8
- Life Score / 100
- B-
- Grade (curved)
- #176
- of 387 metros
- 55%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Provo-Orem-Lehi is above-median composite Life Score — #176 of 387 (50.8/100, grade B-, 55th percentile). Carried by schools at 93/100; held back most by cost of living at 28/100.
- 55th
- composite percentile
- #176
- of 387 peers
- 28th
- cost dimension percentile
- 48th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · signature cost
Provo-Orem-Lehi: cost pressure is the outlier
Provo-Orem-Lehi is a MID-band metro where cost sits only at the 28th percentile (DEAR) — the clearest outlier vs wages at the 48th and composite #176. Cost of Living (28/100) is the main drag; Schools (93/100) keeps the floor. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT ranks #176 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #278 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 98.2 (rent-RPP 104.1). BLS median salary $63,856, 293,200 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, General and Operations Managers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,460/mo (studio $1,257).
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 Provo-Orem-Lehi sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
51 55th percentile higher than 55% 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 50.8 is built
Provo-Orem-Lehi's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Provo-Orem-Lehi 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi With...
Ranking Context
Provo-Orem-Lehi outranks 55% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #173 | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 51.0 | B- |
| #174 | Richmond, VA | 51.2 | B- |
| #175 | Fort Wayne, IN | 51.2 | B- |
| #176 | Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | 50.8 | B- |
| #177 | Abilene, TX | 50.8 | B- |
| #178 | Gainesville, FL | 50.8 | B- |
| #179 | Logan, UT-ID | 50.8 | B- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT is top 45% highest-quality nationally but only bottom 28% 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Provo-Orem-Lehi (MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Abilene, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 50.8 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/MID.
Gainesville, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 50.8 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/MID.
Logan, UT-ID
ABS(composite) peer at 50.8 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/MID.
Longview-Kelso, WA
ABS(composite) peer at 50.8 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/MID.
Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 28/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Raleigh-Cary, NC (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 28/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Provo-Orem-Lehi's middle-third Life Score
Provo-Orem-Lehi scores 50.8/100 overall, but Schools (93.0) and Cost of Living (28.2) sit 64.8 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Schools is the strongest of Provo-Orem-Lehi'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.