Metro Life Score
Pueblo, CO
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 59th percentile of the national corpus.
- 52.0
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #157
- of 387 metros
- 59%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Pueblo is above-median composite Life Score — #157 of 387 (52.0/100, grade B, 59th percentile). Carried by environment at 93/100; held back most by safety at 6/100.
- 59th
- composite percentile
- #157
- of 387 peers
- 65th
- cost dimension percentile
- 60th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · ENVIRO-LED · signature cost
Pueblo: mid-pack cost with a distinct Life Score shape
Pueblo sits mid-pack on cost (≈65th percentile, MID) with composite #157 of 387 (52.0/100). Profile ENVIRO-LED; wages mark MID. Strongest environment 93/100; weakest safety 6/100. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Pueblo, CO ranks #157 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #137 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 91.8 (rent-RPP 71.3). BLS median salary $66,083, 55,270 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,269/mo (studio $875).
FBI UCR (CO): 481 violent, 2641 property/100K. NCES: 15.7:1 ratio, 13.7% charter. DOL infant childcare $12,821/yr. EPA: 24 Superfund sites (CO).
Where Pueblo sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
52 59th percentile higher than 59% 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 52.0 is built
Pueblo's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Pueblo scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are CO state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Pueblo With...
Ranking Context
Pueblo outranks 59% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #154 | Bay City, MI | 52.1 | B |
| #155 | Wausau, WI | 52.2 | B |
| #156 | Kokomo, IN | 52.2 | B |
| #157 | Pueblo, CO | 52.0 | B |
| #158 | Akron, OH | 52.0 | B |
| #159 | Pittsburgh, PA | 51.9 | B |
| #160 | Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 51.8 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Pueblo, CO's quality rank (top 41% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 35% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
CO Metro Scores
Read with Pueblo
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Pueblo (MID · ENVIRO-LED · MID/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Akron, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 52.0 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · MID/MID.
Bay City, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 52.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · MID/MID.
Pittsburgh, PA
ABS(composite) peer at 51.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · MID/MID.
Fond du Lac, WI
ABS(composite) peer at 52.2 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · MID/MID.
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 65/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's MID.
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 65/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Pueblo, CO relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · ENVIRO-LED · MID/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Pueblo's middle-third Life Score
Pueblo scores 52.0/100 overall, but Environment (93.3) and Safety (5.7) sit 87.6 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Environment is the strongest of Pueblo'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
- Safety is the weakest (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Grand Junction is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Grand Junction
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.