PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Rome, GA

55.5
Life Score / 100
B+
Grade (curved)
#113
of 387 metros
71%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Rome ranks #113 of 387 US metros, ahead of 71% - carried by its childcare (95/100) and held back most by wages (12/100).

95
strongest: Childcare
77
then: Environment
12
weakest: Wages
7
weighted dimensions

Where Rome sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

56 71th percentile higher than 71% 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%). Below this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Rome Life Score

Rome's composite score of 55.5 out of 100, a grade of B+, places the metro at rank #113 of 387, ahead of 71% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (95/100) and Environment (77/100), which pull the composite upward, while Wages (12/100) and Schools (34/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 90.2 (rent-RPP 60.3). BLS median salary $59,418, 36,420 jobs (Registered Nurses, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand). HUD 2BR FMR $1,192/mo (studio $822).

FBI UCR (GA): 300 violent, 1567 property/100K. NCES: 14.4:1 ratio, 4.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $6,591/yr. EPA: 23 Superfund sites (GA). Ranks #110-#116 below.

Dimension detail

How Rome scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 74/100 (20%)
Wages 12/100 (20%)
Rent 65/100 (15%)
Safety 54/100 (15%)
Schools 34/100 (10%)
Childcare 95/100 (10%)
Environment 77/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

90.2
Cost Index (RPP)
$59,418
Avg Median Salary
$1,192
2BR Fair Market Rent
300
Violent Crime/100K (GA)
14.4:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$6,591
Infant Childcare/yr (GA)
23
Superfund Sites (GA)
36,420
Total Employment

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

Compare Rome With...

Rome vs Valdosta Compare → Rome vs Dalton Compare → Rome vs Warner Robins Compare → Rome vs Wildwood Compare → Rome vs Waterloo Compare → Rome vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Rome outranks 71% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#110 Warner Robins, GA 55.6 B+
#111 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 55.6 B+
#112 Fond du Lac, WI 55.6 B+
#113 Rome, GA 55.5 B+
#114 St. Joseph, MO-KS 55.5 B+
#115 Lansing-East Lansing, MI 55.4 B+
#116 Manhattan, KS 55.2 B+

GA Metro Scores

Valdosta, GA B+ 57.7 Dalton, GA B+ 56.9 Warner Robins, GA B+ 55.6 Columbus, GA-AL B 55.1 Albany, GA B 54.3 Macon-Bibb County, GA B 54.0

Using Rome's Life Score

Rome 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 childcare (95/100) and its weakest is wages (12/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Rome head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Rome 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 Rome's biggest strengths? ▼
Rome's strongest dimensions are Childcare (95/100), Environment (77/100), Cost of Living (74/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Rome's weakest areas? ▼
Rome's lowest-scoring dimensions are Wages (12/100), Schools (34/100), Safety (54/100). Wages weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Rome compared to the national average? ▼
Rome's Regional Price Parity is 90.2 (9.8% less than national); rent RPP 60.3.
What is the average salary in Rome? ▼
Rome median salary: $59,418, 36,420 jobs. Top: Registered Nurses, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Rome's 55.5/100 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.