Metro Life Score
Richmond, VA
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B-, 56th percentile of the national corpus.
- 51.2
- Life Score / 100
- B-
- Grade (curved)
- #169
- of 387 metros
- 56%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Richmond is above-median composite Life Score — #169 of 387 (51.2/100, grade B-, 56th percentile). Carried by safety at 88/100; held back most by rent at 23/100.
- 56th
- composite percentile
- #169
- of 387 peers
- 30th
- cost dimension percentile
- 80th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SAFE-LED · signature wages
Richmond: pay power is the signature
Richmond stamps MID · SAFE-LED with wages at the 80th percentile of the metro corpus (HIGH) — ahead of its cost mark (DEAR, 30th) and composite #169. Safety (88/100) amplifies the lead; Rent (23/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Richmond, VA ranks #169 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #272 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 97.9 (rent-RPP 99.1). BLS median salary $71,318, 637,140 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, General and Operations Managers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,655/mo (studio $1,442).
FBI UCR (VA): 223 violent, 1590 property/100K. NCES: 13.7:1 ratio, 0.4% charter. DOL infant childcare $10,445/yr. EPA: 35 Superfund sites (VA).
Where Richmond sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
51 56th percentile higher than 56% 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 51.2 is built
Richmond's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Richmond scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are VA state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Richmond With...
Ranking Context
Richmond outranks 56% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #166 | Utica-Rome, NY | 51.3 | B- |
| #167 | Tallahassee, FL | 51.6 | B |
| #168 | Sebring, FL | 51.6 | B |
| #169 | Richmond, VA | 51.2 | B- |
| #170 | Fort Wayne, IN | 51.2 | B- |
| #171 | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 51.0 | B- |
| #172 | Abilene, TX | 50.8 | B- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Richmond, VA is top 44% highest-quality nationally but only bottom 30% least affordable among its composite-quality peers -- its Life Score is earned mostly outside the cost dimension, not through being a budget option.
VA Metro Scores
Read with Richmond
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Richmond (MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Fort Wayne, IN
ABS(composite) peer at 51.2 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Utica-Rome, NY
ABS(composite) peer at 51.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
ABS(composite) peer at 51.0 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Columbus, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 51.6 (Δ 0.4 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Grants Pass, OR (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 30/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 30/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Richmond, VA relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Richmond's middle-third Life Score
Richmond scores 51.2/100 overall, but Safety (87.8) and Rent (23.1) sit 64.8 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Richmond'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
- Rent is the weakest (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Blacksburg is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Blacksburg
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.