PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Springfield, MO

49.7
Life Score / 100
B-
Grade (curved)
#196
of 387 metros
49%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Springfield ranks #196 of 387 US metros, ahead of 49% - carried by its environment (86/100) and held back most by schools (12/100).

86
strongest: Environment
83
then: Cost of Living
12
weakest: Schools
7
weighted dimensions

Where Springfield sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

50 49th percentile higher than 49% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 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 Springfield Life Score

Springfield's composite score of 49.7 out of 100, a grade of B-, places the metro at rank #196 of 387, ahead of 49% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Environment (86/100) and Cost of Living (83/100), which pull the composite upward, while Schools (12/100) and Safety (14/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 88.6 (rent-RPP 65.6). BLS median salary $60,530, 216,300 jobs (General and Operations Managers, Stockers and Order Fillers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides). HUD 2BR FMR $1,095/mo (studio $877).

FBI UCR (MO): 463 violent, 1972 property/100K. NCES: 12.8:1 ratio, 3.5% charter. EPA: 39 Superfund sites (MO). Ranks #193-#199 below.

Dimension detail

How Springfield scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 83/100 (20%)
Wages 19/100 (20%)
Rent 82/100 (15%)
Safety 14/100 (15%)
Schools 12/100 (10%)
Childcare -/100 (10%)
Environment 86/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

88.6
Cost Index (RPP)
$60,530
Avg Median Salary
$1,095
2BR Fair Market Rent
463
Violent Crime/100K (MO)
12.8:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
39
Superfund Sites (MO)
216,300
Total Employment

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

Compare Springfield With...

Springfield vs St. Joseph Compare → Springfield vs St. Louis Compare → Springfield vs Joplin Compare → Springfield vs Wildwood Compare → Springfield vs Waterloo Compare → Springfield vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Springfield outranks 49% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#193 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 49.8 B-
#194 Naples-Marco Island, FL 49.8 B-
#195 State College, PA 49.9 B-
#196 Springfield, MO 49.7 B-
#197 Akron, OH 49.7 B-
#198 Walla Walla, WA 49.6 B-
#199 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 49.5 B-

MO Metro Scores

St. Joseph, MO-KS B+ 55.5 St. Louis, MO-IL B 54.7 Joplin, MO-KS B- 51.7 Jefferson City, MO C+ 46.5 Kansas City, MO-KS C 45.5 Cape Girardeau, MO-IL C 44.5

Using Springfield's Life Score

Springfield 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 (86/100) and its weakest is schools (12/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Springfield head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Springfield 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 Springfield's biggest strengths? ▼
Springfield's strongest dimensions are Environment (86/100), Cost of Living (83/100), Rent (82/100). Environment is top-tier nationally.
What are Springfield's weakest areas? ▼
Springfield's lowest-scoring dimensions are Schools (12/100), Safety (14/100), Wages (19/100). Schools weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Springfield compared to the national average? ▼
Springfield's Regional Price Parity is 88.6 (11.4% less than national); rent RPP 65.6.
What is the average salary in Springfield? ▼
Springfield median salary: $60,530, 216,300 jobs. Top: General and Operations Managers, Stockers and Order Fillers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Springfield's 49.7/100 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.