PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Tyler, TX

47.2
Life Score / 100
C+
Grade (curved)
#233
of 387 metros
40%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Tyler ranks #233 of 387 US metros, ahead of 40% - carried by its environment (92/100) and held back most by wages (15/100).

92
strongest: Environment
72
then: Childcare
15
weakest: Wages
7
weighted dimensions

Where Tyler sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

47 40th percentile higher than 40% 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 Tyler Life Score

Tyler's composite score of 47.2 out of 100, a grade of C+, places the metro at rank #233 of 387, ahead of 40% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Environment (92/100) and Childcare (72/100), which pull the composite upward, while Wages (15/100) and Safety (30/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 92.2 (rent-RPP 79.9). BLS median salary $58,224, 107,840 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Registered Nurses, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,338/mo (studio $984).

FBI UCR (TX): 395 violent, 2058 property/100K. NCES: 14.7:1 ratio, 11.4% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,566/yr. EPA: 70 Superfund sites (TX). Ranks #230-#236 below.

Dimension detail

How Tyler scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 61/100 (20%)
Wages 15/100 (20%)
Rent 46/100 (15%)
Safety 30/100 (15%)
Schools 43/100 (10%)
Childcare 72/100 (10%)
Environment 92/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

92.2
Cost Index (RPP)
$58,224
Avg Median Salary
$1,338
2BR Fair Market Rent
395
Violent Crime/100K (TX)
14.7:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,566
Infant Childcare/yr (TX)
70
Superfund Sites (TX)
107,840
Total Employment

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

Compare Tyler With...

Tyler vs Texarkana Compare → Tyler vs Waco Compare → Tyler vs San Antonio Compare → Tyler vs Wildwood Compare → Tyler vs Waterloo Compare → Tyler vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Tyler outranks 40% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#230 Pueblo, CO 47.3 C+
#231 Jackson, TN 47.3 C+
#232 Memphis, TN-MS-AR 47.4 C+
#233 Tyler, TX 47.2 C+
#234 Yuma, AZ 47.2 C+
#235 Johnson City, TN 47.1 C+
#236 Bloomington, IN 47.0 C+

TX Metro Scores

Texarkana, TX-AR A- 60.7 Waco, TX B+ 58.2 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX B+ 57.6 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX B 55.0 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX B 54.9 Wichita Falls, TX B 53.9

Using Tyler's Life Score

Tyler 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 (92/100) and its weakest is wages (15/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Tyler head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Tyler 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 Tyler's biggest strengths? ▼
Tyler's strongest dimensions are Environment (92/100), Childcare (72/100), Cost of Living (61/100). Environment is top-tier nationally.
What are Tyler's weakest areas? ▼
Tyler's lowest-scoring dimensions are Wages (15/100), Safety (30/100), Schools (43/100). Wages weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Tyler compared to the national average? ▼
Tyler's Regional Price Parity is 92.2 (7.8% less than national); rent RPP 79.9.
What is the average salary in Tyler? ▼
Tyler median salary: $58,224, 107,840 jobs. Top: Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Registered Nurses, Fast Food and Counter Workers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Tyler's 47.2/100 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.