Metro Life Score

St. George, UT

Below-median composite Life Score — grade C, 25th percentile of the national corpus.

44.2
Life Score / 100
C
Grade (curved)
#290
of 387 metros
25%
composite percentile
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Data updated August 2026

The verdict

St. George is below-median composite Life Score — #290 of 387 (44.2/100, grade C, 25th percentile). Carried by schools at 94/100; held back most by wages at 18/100.

25th
composite percentile
#290
of 387 peers
32nd
cost dimension percentile
18th
wages dimension percentile

Life Score shape · LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · signature wages

St. George: wage lag defines the peer set

St. George is a LOWER-band metro where wages sit at only the 18th percentile (LOW) while cost is DEAR (32nd) and composite #290. Wages at 18/100 is the clearest drag; Schools (94/100) is the offset. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, St. George, UT ranks #290 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #265 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.

BEA RPP 97.3 (rent-RPP 98.1). BLS median salary $58,910, 83,630 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Office Clerks, General). HUD 2BR FMR $1,575/mo (studio $1,210).

FBI UCR (UT): 229 violent, 1435 property/100K. NCES: 21.4:1 ratio, 13.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,828/yr. EPA: 24 Superfund sites (UT).

Where St. George sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

44 25th percentile higher than 25% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 7 US metros (2%). Below this entry. 35–40: 34 US metros (9%). Below this entry. 40–45: 66 US metros (17%). This entry sits in this band. 45–50: 91 US metros (24%). Above this entry. 50–55: 77 US metros (20%). Above this entry. 55–60: 60 US metros (16%). Above this entry. 60–65: 44 US metros (11%). Above this entry. 65–70: 6 US metros (2%). Above this entry. 70–75: 1 US metros (0%). 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 · August 2026

Dimension detail

How St. George scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 32/100 (20%)
Wages 18/100 (20%)
Rent 26/100 (15%)
Safety 84/100 (15%)
Schools 94/100 (10%)
Childcare 29/100 (10%)
Environment 56/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

97.3
Cost Index (RPP)
$58,910
Avg Median Salary
$1,575
2BR Fair Market Rent
229
Violent Crime/100K (UT)
21.4:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$11,828
Infant Childcare/yr (UT)
24
Superfund Sites (UT)
83,630
Total Employment

Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are UT state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.

Compare St. George With...

Ranking Context

St. George outranks 25% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#287 Lebanon, PA 44.4 C
#288 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA 44.4 C
#289 Syracuse, NY 44.6 C
#290 St. George, UT 44.2 C
#291 Merced, CA 44.0 C
#292 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL 44.0 C
#293 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 43.9 C

UT Metro Scores

Read with St. George

Nearest composite peers and cost poles for St. George (LOWER · SCHOOL-STRONG · DEAR/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. St. George Life Score 44.2/100 · signature wages · retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare