Metro Life Score
Tucson, AZ
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C+, 39th percentile of the national corpus.
- 47.3
- Life Score / 100
- C+
- Grade (curved)
- #235
- of 387 metros
- 39%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Tucson is below-median composite Life Score — #235 of 387 (47.3/100, grade C+, 39th percentile). Carried by environment at 83/100; held back most by safety at 23/100.
- 39th
- composite percentile
- #235
- of 387 peers
- 34th
- cost dimension percentile
- 61st
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · ENVIRO-LED · signature cost
Tucson: mid-pack cost with a distinct Life Score shape
Tucson sits mid-pack on cost (≈34th percentile, DEAR) with composite #235 of 387 (47.3/100). Profile ENVIRO-LED; wages mark MID. Strongest environment 83/100; weakest safety 23/100. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Tucson, AZ ranks #235 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #257 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 96.9 (rent-RPP 91.8). BLS median salary $66,393, 375,520 jobs (General and Operations Managers, Retail Salespersons, Home Health and Personal Care Aides). HUD 2BR FMR $1,402/mo (studio $967).
FBI UCR (AZ): 429 violent, 1786 property/100K. NCES: 17.2:1 ratio, 25.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,301/yr. EPA: 13 Superfund sites (AZ).
Where Tucson sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
47 39th percentile higher than 39% 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 47.3 is built
Tucson's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Tucson scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are AZ state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Tucson With...
Ranking Context
Tucson outranks 39% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #232 | Odessa, TX | 47.4 | C+ |
| #233 | Columbus, IN | 47.4 | C+ |
| #234 | Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL | 47.5 | C+ |
| #235 | Tucson, AZ | 47.3 | C+ |
| #236 | Salem, OR | 47.3 | C+ |
| #237 | South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI | 47.3 | C+ |
| #238 | Carson City, NV | 47.2 | C+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Tucson, AZ's quality rank (bottom 40% lowest-quality) and affordability rank (bottom 34% least affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
AZ Metro Scores
Read with Tucson
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Tucson (MID · ENVIRO-LED · DEAR/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Salem, OR
ABS(composite) peer at 47.3 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · DEAR/MID.
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
ABS(composite) peer at 47.3 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · DEAR/MID.
Carson City, NV
ABS(composite) peer at 47.2 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · DEAR/MID.
Columbus, IN
ABS(composite) peer at 47.4 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · ENVIRO-LED · DEAR/MID.
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 33/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Great Falls, MT (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 34/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Tucson, AZ relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · ENVIRO-LED · DEAR/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Tucson's middle-third Life Score
Tucson scores 47.3/100 overall, but Environment (82.9) and Safety (23.3) sit 59.6 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Environment is the strongest of Tucson's seven dimensions (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Safety is the weakest (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Sierra Vista is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Sierra Vista
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.