PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Redding, CA

43.7
Life Score / 100
C
Grade (curved)
#284
of 387 metros
27%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Redding ranks #284 of 387 US metros, ahead of 27% - carried by its schools (94/100) and held back most by childcare (6/100).

94
strongest: Schools
84
then: Wages
6
weakest: Childcare
7
weighted dimensions

Where Redding sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

44 27th percentile higher than 27% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 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 Redding Life Score

Redding's composite score of 43.7 out of 100, a grade of C, places the metro at rank #284 of 387, ahead of 27% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Schools (94/100) and Wages (84/100), which pull the composite upward, while Childcare (6/100) and Safety (11/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 100.7 (rent-RPP 89.4). BLS median salary $70,312, 65,010 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,590/mo (studio $1,172).

FBI UCR (CA): 477 violent, 1986 property/100K. NCES: 21.5:1 ratio, 12.8% charter. DOL infant childcare $17,920/yr. EPA: 116 Superfund sites (CA). Ranks #281-#287 below.

Dimension detail

How Redding scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 20/100 (20%)
Wages 84/100 (20%)
Rent 26/100 (15%)
Safety 11/100 (15%)
Schools 94/100 (10%)
Childcare 6/100 (10%)
Environment 74/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

100.7
Cost Index (RPP)
$70,312
Avg Median Salary
$1,590
2BR Fair Market Rent
477
Violent Crime/100K (CA)
21.5:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$17,920
Infant Childcare/yr (CA)
116
Superfund Sites (CA)
65,010
Total Employment

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

Compare Redding With...

Redding vs El Centro Compare → Redding vs Visalia Compare → Redding vs Yuba City Compare → Redding vs Wildwood Compare → Redding vs Waterloo Compare → Redding vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Redding outranks 27% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#281 Ann Arbor, MI 44.0 C
#282 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 44.2 C
#283 Lebanon, PA 44.2 C
#284 Redding, CA 43.7 C
#285 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 43.7 C
#286 New Haven, CT 43.6 C
#287 Urban Honolulu, HI 43.6 C

CA Metro Scores

El Centro, CA C+ 46.7 Visalia, CA C 45.2 Yuba City, CA C 43.3 Merced, CA C 42.8 Vallejo, CA C 41.9 Stockton-Lodi, CA C- 41.3

Using Redding's Life Score

Redding 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 schools (94/100) and its weakest is childcare (6/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Redding head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Redding 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 Redding's biggest strengths? ▼
Redding's strongest dimensions are Schools (94/100), Wages (84/100), Environment (74/100). Schools is top-tier nationally.
What are Redding's weakest areas? ▼
Redding's lowest-scoring dimensions are Childcare (6/100), Safety (11/100), Cost of Living (20/100). Childcare weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Redding compared to the national average? ▼
Redding's Regional Price Parity is 100.7 (0.7% more than national); rent RPP 89.4.
What is the average salary in Redding? ▼
Redding median salary: $70,312, 65,010 jobs. Top: Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Redding's 43.7/100 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.