PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Reno, NV

52.5
Life Score / 100
B
Grade (curved)
#164
of 387 metros
58%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Reno ranks #164 of 387 US metros, ahead of 58% - carried by its schools (99/100) and held back most by cost of living (17/100).

99
strongest: Schools
75
then: Environment
17
weakest: Cost of Living
7
weighted dimensions

Where Reno sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

53 58th percentile higher than 58% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Reno Life Score

Reno's composite score of 52.5 out of 100, a grade of B, places the metro at rank #164 of 387, ahead of 58% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Schools (99/100) and Environment (75/100), which pull the composite upward, while Cost of Living (17/100) and Safety (28/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 101.0 (rent-RPP 123.5). BLS median salary $66,688, 266,130 jobs (Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Stockers and Order Fillers, General and Operations Managers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,272/mo (studio $1,070).

FBI UCR (NV): 407 violent, 2226 property/100K. NCES: 20.5:1 ratio, 13.6% charter. DOL infant childcare $10,033/yr. EPA: 2 Superfund sites (NV). Ranks #161-#167 below.

Dimension detail

How Reno scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 17/100 (20%)
Wages 70/100 (20%)
Rent 53/100 (15%)
Safety 28/100 (15%)
Schools 99/100 (10%)
Childcare 55/100 (10%)
Environment 75/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

101.0
Cost Index (RPP)
$66,688
Avg Median Salary
$1,272
2BR Fair Market Rent
407
Violent Crime/100K (NV)
20.5:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$10,033
Infant Childcare/yr (NV)
2
Superfund Sites (NV)
266,130
Total Employment

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

Compare Reno With...

Reno vs Las Vegas Compare → Reno vs Carson City Compare → Reno vs Wildwood Compare → Reno vs Waterloo Compare → Reno vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Reno outranks 58% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#161 Winchester, VA-WV 52.6 B
#162 Roanoke, VA 52.6 B
#163 Columbia, SC 52.6 B
#164 Reno, NV 52.5 B
#165 Oklahoma City, OK 52.5 B
#166 Utica-Rome, NY 52.5 B
#167 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY 52.5 B

NV Metro Scores

Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV C 45.4 Carson City, NV C- 41.4

Using Reno's Life Score

Reno 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 (99/100) and its weakest is cost of living (17/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Reno head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Reno 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 Reno's biggest strengths? ▼
Reno's strongest dimensions are Schools (99/100), Environment (75/100), Wages (70/100). Schools is top-tier nationally.
What are Reno's weakest areas? ▼
Reno's lowest-scoring dimensions are Cost of Living (17/100), Safety (28/100), Rent (53/100). Cost of Living weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Reno compared to the national average? ▼
Reno's Regional Price Parity is 101.0 (1.0% more than national); rent RPP 123.5.
What is the average salary in Reno? ▼
Reno median salary: $66,688, 266,130 jobs. Top: Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Stockers and Order Fillers, General and Operations Managers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Reno's 52.5/100 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.