Metro Life Score
Syracuse, NY
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C, 26th percentile of the national corpus.
- 44.6
- Life Score / 100
- C
- Grade (curved)
- #287
- of 387 metros
- 26%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Syracuse is below-median composite Life Score — #287 of 387 (44.6/100, grade C, 26th percentile). Carried by wages at 82/100; held back most by schools at 7/100.
- 26th
- composite percentile
- #287
- of 387 peers
- 39th
- cost dimension percentile
- 81st
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · LOWER · WAGE-LED · signature wages
Syracuse: pay power is the signature
Syracuse stamps LOWER · WAGE-LED with wages at the 81st percentile of the metro corpus (HIGH) — ahead of its cost mark (DEAR, 39th) and composite #287. Wages (82/100) amplifies the lead; Schools (7/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Syracuse, NY ranks #287 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #237 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 95.7 (rent-RPP 80.7). BLS median salary $71,924, 291,140 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,392/mo (studio $995).
FBI UCR (NY): 380 violent, 1661 property/100K. NCES: 11.4:1 ratio, 7.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $13,869/yr. EPA: 122 Superfund sites (NY).
Where Syracuse sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
45 26th percentile higher than 26% 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 44.6 is built
Syracuse's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Syracuse scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are NY state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Syracuse With...
Ranking Context
Syracuse outranks 26% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #284 | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | 44.7 | C |
| #285 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 44.7 | C |
| #286 | Corvallis, OR | 44.8 | C |
| #287 | Syracuse, NY | 44.6 | C |
| #288 | Asheville, NC | 44.6 | C |
| #289 | Sherman-Denison, TX | 44.6 | C |
| #290 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | 44.4 | C |
Quality vs. Affordability
Syracuse, NY's quality rank (bottom 26% lowest-quality) and affordability rank (bottom 39% least affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
NY Metro Scores
Read with Syracuse
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Syracuse (LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Asheville, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 44.6 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Sherman-Denison, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 44.6 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC
ABS(composite) peer at 44.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA
ABS(composite) peer at 44.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 39/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Midland, TX (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 39/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Syracuse, NY relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Syracuse's bottom-third Life Score
Syracuse scores 44.6/100 overall, but Wages (81.6) and Schools (6.7) sit 74.9 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Wages is the strongest of Syracuse'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
- Schools is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Binghamton is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Binghamton
A low composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can still be strong.