Metro Life Score
Punta Gorda, FL
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C, 29th percentile of the national corpus.
- 45.3
- Life Score / 100
- C
- Grade (curved)
- #275
- of 387 metros
- 29%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Punta Gorda is below-median composite Life Score — #275 of 387 (45.3/100, grade C, 29th percentile). Carried by safety at 92/100; held back most by cost of living at 20/100.
- 29th
- composite percentile
- #275
- of 387 peers
- 20th
- cost dimension percentile
- 26th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · signature cost
Punta Gorda: cost pressure is the outlier
Punta Gorda is a LOWER-band metro where cost sits only at the 20th percentile (DEAR) — the clearest outlier vs wages at the 26th and composite #275. Cost of Living (20/100) is the main drag; Safety (92/100) keeps the floor. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Punta Gorda, FL ranks #275 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #310 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 100.5 (rent-RPP 113.3). BLS median salary $60,552, 49,740 jobs (Retail Salespersons, Waiters and Waitresses, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,470/mo (studio $1,159).
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 Punta Gorda sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
45 29th percentile higher than 29% 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 45.3 is built
Punta Gorda's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Punta Gorda 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 Punta Gorda With...
Ranking Context
Punta Gorda outranks 29% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #272 | Yuma, AZ | 45.4 | C |
| #273 | Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | 45.4 | C |
| #274 | Traverse City, MI | 45.4 | C |
| #275 | Punta Gorda, FL | 45.3 | C |
| #276 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 45.3 | C |
| #277 | Jackson, TN | 45.3 | C |
| #278 | Port St. Lucie, FL | 45.3 | C |
Quality vs. Affordability
Punta Gorda, FL's quality rank (bottom 29% lowest-quality) and affordability rank (bottom 20% least affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
FL Metro Scores
Read with Punta Gorda
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Punta Gorda (LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 45.3 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/LOW.
Jackson, TN
ABS(composite) peer at 45.3 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/LOW.
Port St. Lucie, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 45.3 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/LOW.
San Angelo, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 45.2 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/LOW.
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.
Redding, CA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 20/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Punta Gorda, FL relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for LOWER · RENT-SQUEEZE · DEAR/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Punta Gorda's bottom-third Life Score
Punta Gorda scores 45.3/100 overall, but Safety (92.0) and Cost of Living (19.9) sit 72.0 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Punta Gorda'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
- 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
- Wildwood is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Wildwood
A low composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can still be strong.