Metro Life Score
Springfield, IL
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B+, 71st percentile of the national corpus.
- 54.9
- Life Score / 100
- B+
- Grade (curved)
- #113
- of 387 metros
- 71%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Springfield is above-median composite Life Score — #113 of 387 (54.9/100, grade B+, 71st percentile). Carried by wages at 76/100; held back most by childcare at 26/100.
- 71st
- composite percentile
- #113
- of 387 peers
- 56th
- cost dimension percentile
- 75th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · WAGE-LED · signature wages
Springfield: pay power is the signature
Springfield stamps UPPER · WAGE-LED with wages at the 75th percentile of the metro corpus (HIGH) — ahead of its cost mark (MID, 56th) and composite #113. Wages (76/100) amplifies the lead; Childcare (26/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Springfield, IL ranks #113 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #171 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 92.7 (rent-RPP 71.6). BLS median salary $70,269, 93,500 jobs (Registered Nurses, General and Operations Managers, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,203/mo (studio $829).
FBI UCR (IL): 277 violent, 1665 property/100K. NCES: 13.4:1 ratio, 3.5% charter. DOL infant childcare $12,257/yr. EPA: 56 Superfund sites (IL).
Where Springfield 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 54.9 is built
Springfield's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Springfield scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are IL state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Springfield With...
Ranking Context
Springfield outranks 71% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #110 | Midland, MI | 55.0 | B+ |
| #111 | Champaign-Urbana, IL | 55.0 | B+ |
| #112 | Roanoke, VA | 55.2 | B+ |
| #113 | Springfield, IL | 54.9 | B+ |
| #114 | Cheyenne, WY | 54.9 | B+ |
| #115 | Saginaw, MI | 54.8 | B+ |
| #116 | Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ | 54.8 | B+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Springfield, IL's quality rank (top 29% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 44% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
IL Metro Scores
Read with Springfield
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Springfield (UPPER · WAGE-LED · MID/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Cheyenne, WY
ABS(composite) peer at 54.9 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · WAGE-LED · MID/HIGH.
Champaign-Urbana, IL
ABS(composite) peer at 55.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · WAGE-LED · MID/HIGH.
Midland, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 55.0 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · WAGE-LED · MID/HIGH.
Saginaw, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 54.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · WAGE-LED · MID/HIGH.
Eau Claire, WI (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 56/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 56/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Springfield, IL relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · WAGE-LED · MID/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Springfield's top-third Life Score
Springfield scores 54.9/100 overall, but Wages (75.6) and Childcare (26.2) sit 49.5 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Wages is the strongest of Springfield's seven dimensions (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Childcare is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Decatur is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Decatur
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.