PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Utica-Rome, NY

52.5
Life Score / 100
B
Grade (curved)
#165
of 387 metros
57%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Utica ranks #165 of 387 US metros, ahead of 57% - carried by its environment (92/100) and held back most by schools (5/100).

92
strongest: Environment
70
then: Rent
5
weakest: Schools
7
weighted dimensions

Where Utica sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

53 57th percentile higher than 57% 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%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). This entry sits in this band. 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 Utica Life Score

Utica's composite score of 52.5 out of 100, a grade of B, places the metro at rank #165 of 387, ahead of 57% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Environment (92/100) and Rent (70/100), which pull the composite upward, while Schools (5/100) and Childcare (18/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 92.7 (rent-RPP 66.1). BLS median salary $69,489, 109,220 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,172/mo (studio $899).

FBI UCR (NY): 380 violent, 1661 property/100K. NCES: 11.8:1 ratio, 7.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $13,869/yr. EPA: 122 Superfund sites (NY). Ranks #162-#168 below.

Dimension detail

How Utica scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 58/100 (20%)
Wages 68/100 (20%)
Rent 70/100 (15%)
Safety 36/100 (15%)
Schools 5/100 (10%)
Childcare 18/100 (10%)
Environment 92/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

92.7
Cost Index (RPP)
$69,489
Avg Median Salary
$1,172
2BR Fair Market Rent
380
Violent Crime/100K (NY)
11.8:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$13,869
Infant Childcare/yr (NY)
122
Superfund Sites (NY)
109,220
Total Employment

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

Compare Utica With...

Utica vs Watertown Compare → Utica vs Binghamton Compare → Utica vs Syracuse Compare → Utica vs Wildwood Compare → Utica vs Waterloo Compare → Utica vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Utica outranks 57% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#162 Winchester, VA-WV 52.6 B
#163 Roanoke, VA 52.6 B
#164 Columbia, SC 52.6 B
#165 Utica-Rome, NY 52.5 B
#166 Oklahoma City, OK 52.5 B
#167 Reno, NV 52.5 B
#168 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY 52.5 B

NY Metro Scores

Watertown-Fort Drum, NY B 52.5 Binghamton, NY C+ 46.9 Syracuse, NY C+ 46.9 Rochester, NY C 42.3 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY C- 41.0 Elmira, NY C- 39.9

Using Utica's Life Score

Utica 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 schools (5/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Utica head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Utica 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 Utica's biggest strengths? ▼
Utica's strongest dimensions are Environment (92/100), Rent (70/100), Wages (68/100). Environment is top-tier nationally.
What are Utica's weakest areas? ▼
Utica's lowest-scoring dimensions are Schools (5/100), Childcare (18/100), Safety (36/100). Schools weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Utica compared to the national average? ▼
Utica's Regional Price Parity is 92.7 (7.3% less than national); rent RPP 66.1.
What is the average salary in Utica? ▼
Utica median salary: $69,489, 109,220 jobs. Top: Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Utica's 52.5/100 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.