PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI

55.2
Life Score / 100
B
Grade (curved)
#117
of 387 metros
70%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

South Bend ranks #117 of 387 US metros, ahead of 70% - carried by its environment (84/100) and held back most by wages (46/100).

84
strongest: Environment
57
then: Schools
46
weakest: Wages
7
weighted dimensions

Where South Bend sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

55 70th percentile higher than 70% 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 South Bend Life Score

South Bend's composite score of 55.2 out of 100, a grade of B, places the metro at rank #117 of 387, ahead of 70% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Environment (84/100) and Schools (57/100), which pull the composite upward, while Wages (46/100) and Safety (50/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 92.9 (rent-RPP 74.6). BLS median salary $62,165, 125,610 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,292/mo (studio $898).

FBI UCR (IN): 308 violent, 1321 property/100K. NCES: 15.9:1 ratio, 6.5% charter. EPA: 53 Superfund sites (IN). Ranks #114-#120 below.

Dimension detail

How South Bend scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 55/100 (20%)
Wages 46/100 (20%)
Rent 51/100 (15%)
Safety 50/100 (15%)
Schools 57/100 (10%)
Childcare -/100 (10%)
Environment 84/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

92.9
Cost Index (RPP)
$62,165
Avg Median Salary
$1,292
2BR Fair Market Rent
308
Violent Crime/100K (IN)
15.9:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
53
Superfund Sites (IN)
125,610
Total Employment

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

Compare South Bend With...

South Bend vs Terre Haute Compare → South Bend vs Muncie Compare → South Bend vs Louisville/Jefferson County Compare → South Bend vs Wildwood Compare → South Bend vs Waterloo Compare → South Bend vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

South Bend outranks 70% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#114 Lansing-East Lansing, MI 55.4 B+
#115 St. Joseph, MO-KS 55.5 B+
#116 Rome, GA 55.5 B+
#117 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI 55.2 B
#118 Manhattan, KS 55.2 B+
#119 Traverse City, MI 55.2 B
#120 Champaign-Urbana, IL 55.1 B

IN Metro Scores

Terre Haute, IN A 63.5 Muncie, IN A- 61.0 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN A- 60.3 Kokomo, IN B+ 57.0 Evansville, IN B 53.8 Elkhart-Goshen, IN B- 52.4

Using South Bend's Life Score

South Bend 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 environment (84/100) and its weakest is wages (46/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put South Bend head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where South Bend 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 South Bend's biggest strengths? ▼
South Bend's strongest dimensions are Environment (84/100), Schools (57/100), Cost of Living (55/100). Environment is top-tier nationally.
What are South Bend's weakest areas? ▼
South Bend's lowest-scoring dimensions are Wages (46/100), Safety (50/100), Rent (51/100).
How expensive is South Bend compared to the national average? ▼
South Bend's Regional Price Parity is 92.9 (7.1% less than national); rent RPP 74.6.
What is the average salary in South Bend? ▼
South Bend median salary: $62,165, 125,610 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
South Bend's 55.2/100 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.