Metro Life Score
Saginaw, MI
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B+, 71st percentile of the national corpus.
- 54.8
- Life Score / 100
- B+
- Grade (curved)
- #114
- of 387 metros
- 71%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Saginaw is above-median composite Life Score — #114 of 387 (54.8/100, grade B+, 71st percentile). Carried by childcare at 79/100; held back most by environment at 12/100.
- 71st
- composite percentile
- #114
- of 387 peers
- 70th
- cost dimension percentile
- 48th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · BALANCED · signature composite
Saginaw: top-third composite Life Score
Saginaw clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#114 of 387, 54.8/100, grade B+, 70th percentile). Stamps UPPER · BALANCED; cost CHEAP (70th) · wages MID (48th). Childcare at 79/100 carries the lead; Environment (12/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Saginaw, MI ranks #114 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #115 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 90.9 (rent-RPP 63.6). BLS median salary $63,858, 72,600 jobs (Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses, Customer Service Representatives). HUD 2BR FMR $1,117/mo (studio $770).
FBI UCR (MI): 431 violent, 1395 property/100K. NCES: 16.7:1 ratio, 10.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,444/yr. EPA: 90 Superfund sites (MI).
Where Saginaw sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
55 71st percentile higher than 71% 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 54.8 is built
Saginaw's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Saginaw scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are MI state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Saginaw With...
Ranking Context
Saginaw outranks 71% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #111 | Springfield, IL | 54.9 | B+ |
| #112 | Cheyenne, WY | 54.9 | B+ |
| #113 | Midland, MI | 55.0 | B+ |
| #114 | Saginaw, MI | 54.8 | B+ |
| #115 | Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ | 54.8 | B+ |
| #116 | Las Cruces, NM | 54.7 | B+ |
| #117 | Sheboygan, WI | 54.7 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Saginaw, MI's quality rank (top 29% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 30% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
MI Metro Scores
Read with Saginaw
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Saginaw (UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ
ABS(composite) peer at 54.8 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
Las Cruces, NM
ABS(composite) peer at 54.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
Sheboygan, WI
ABS(composite) peer at 54.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
Cheyenne, WY
ABS(composite) peer at 54.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
Clarksville, TN-KY (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 70/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Fargo, ND-MN (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 71/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Saginaw, MI relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Saginaw's top-third Life Score
Saginaw scores 54.8/100 overall, but Childcare (79.4) and Environment (12.2) sit 67.2 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Childcare is the strongest of Saginaw's seven dimensions (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Environment is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Battle Creek is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Battle Creek
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.