Metro Life Score
Roanoke, VA
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B+, 72nd percentile of the national corpus.
- 55.2
- Life Score / 100
- B+
- Grade (curved)
- #109
- of 387 metros
- 72%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Roanoke is above-median composite Life Score — #109 of 387 (55.2/100, grade B+, 72nd percentile). Carried by safety at 88/100; held back most by schools at 26/100.
- 72nd
- composite percentile
- #109
- of 387 peers
- 49th
- cost dimension percentile
- 55th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · SAFE-LED · signature composite
Roanoke: top-third composite Life Score
Roanoke clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#109 of 387, 55.2/100, grade B+, 72nd percentile). Stamps UPPER · SAFE-LED; cost MID (49th) · wages MID (55th). Safety at 88/100 carries the lead; Schools (26/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Roanoke, VA ranks #109 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #196 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 93.6 (rent-RPP 78.5). BLS median salary $64,974, 144,240 jobs (Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,254/mo (studio $1,004).
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 Roanoke sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
55 72nd percentile higher than 72% 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 55.2 is built
Roanoke's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Roanoke 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 Roanoke With...
Ranking Context
Roanoke outranks 72% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #106 | Rome, GA | 55.4 | B+ |
| #107 | La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | 55.4 | B+ |
| #108 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 55.5 | B+ |
| #109 | Roanoke, VA | 55.2 | B+ |
| #110 | Laredo, TX | 55.2 | B+ |
| #111 | Manhattan, KS | 55.2 | B+ |
| #112 | Champaign-Urbana, IL | 55.0 | B+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Roanoke, VA is top 28% highest-quality nationally but only bottom 50% 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 Roanoke
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Roanoke (UPPER · SAFE-LED · MID/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Laredo, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 55.2 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Manhattan, KS
ABS(composite) peer at 55.2 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
ABS(composite) peer at 55.4 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Rome, GA
ABS(composite) peer at 55.4 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 49/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 50/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Roanoke, VA relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · SAFE-LED · MID/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Roanoke's top-third Life Score
Roanoke scores 55.2/100 overall, but Safety (87.6) and Schools (25.6) sit 61.9 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Roanoke'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
- Schools is the weakest (weighted 10% 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 high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.