PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

State College, PA

49.9
Life Score / 100
B-
Grade (curved)
#192
of 387 metros
50%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

State College ranks #192 of 387 US metros, ahead of 50% - carried by its environment (87/100) and held back most by schools (18/100).

87
strongest: Environment
68
then: Safety
18
weakest: Schools
7
weighted dimensions

Where State College sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

50 50th percentile higher than 50% 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 State College Life Score

State College's composite score of 49.9 out of 100, a grade of B-, places the metro at rank #192 of 387, ahead of 50% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Environment (87/100) and Safety (68/100), which pull the composite upward, while Schools (18/100) and Cost of Living (34/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 96.8 (rent-RPP 85.7). BLS median salary $62,669, 54,000 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, General and Operations Managers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,406/mo (studio $1,187).

FBI UCR (PA): 250 violent, 1457 property/100K. NCES: 13.6:1 ratio, 6.0% charter. EPA: 127 Superfund sites (PA). Ranks #189-#195 below.

Dimension detail

How State College scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 34/100 (20%)
Wages 58/100 (20%)
Rent 38/100 (15%)
Safety 68/100 (15%)
Schools 18/100 (10%)
Childcare -/100 (10%)
Environment 87/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

96.8
Cost Index (RPP)
$62,669
Avg Median Salary
$1,406
2BR Fair Market Rent
250
Violent Crime/100K (PA)
13.6:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
127
Superfund Sites (PA)
54,000
Total Employment

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

Compare State College With...

State College vs Johnstown Compare → State College vs Williamsport Compare → State College vs Pittsburgh Compare → State College vs Wildwood Compare → State College vs Waterloo Compare → State College vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

State College outranks 50% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#189 Longview-Kelso, WA 50.0 B-
#190 Longview, TX 50.0 B-
#191 Burlington, NC 50.0 B-
#192 State College, PA 49.9 B-
#193 Bay City, MI 49.9 B-
#194 Naples-Marco Island, FL 49.8 B-
#195 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 49.8 B-

PA Metro Scores

Johnstown, PA B+ 56.4 Williamsport, PA B 54.7 Pittsburgh, PA B 54.0 York-Hanover, PA B 52.7 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA B- 51.9 Erie, PA B- 48.9

Using State College's Life Score

State College 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 (87/100) and its weakest is schools (18/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put State College head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where State College 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 State College's biggest strengths? ▼
State College's strongest dimensions are Environment (87/100), Safety (68/100), Wages (58/100). Environment is top-tier nationally.
What are State College's weakest areas? ▼
State College's lowest-scoring dimensions are Schools (18/100), Cost of Living (34/100), Rent (38/100). Schools weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is State College compared to the national average? ▼
State College's Regional Price Parity is 96.8 (3.2% less than national); rent RPP 85.7.
What is the average salary in State College? ▼
State College median salary: $62,669, 54,000 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, General and Operations Managers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
State College's 49.9/100 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.