Metro Life Score
Walla Walla, WA
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C+, 42nd percentile of the national corpus.
- 48.0
- Life Score / 100
- C+
- Grade (curved)
- #223
- of 387 metros
- 42%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Walla Walla is below-median composite Life Score — #223 of 387 (48.0/100, grade C+, 42nd percentile). Carried by wages at 79/100; held back most by childcare at 11/100.
- 42nd
- composite percentile
- #223
- of 387 peers
- 26th
- cost dimension percentile
- 79th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · WAGE-LED · signature wages
Walla Walla: pay power is the signature
Walla Walla stamps MID · WAGE-LED with wages at the 79th percentile of the metro corpus (HIGH) — ahead of its cost mark (DEAR, 26th) and composite #223. Wages (79/100) amplifies the lead; Childcare (11/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Walla Walla, WA ranks #223 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #286 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 98.5 (rent-RPP 86.6). BLS median salary $71,001, 19,680 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Registered Nurses, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,550/mo (studio $1,074).
FBI UCR (WA): 329 violent, 2498 property/100K. NCES: 17.7:1 ratio, 0.6% charter. DOL infant childcare $15,987/yr. EPA: 69 Superfund sites (WA).
Where Walla Walla sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
48 42nd percentile higher than 42% 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 48.0 is built
Walla Walla's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Walla Walla scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are WA state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Walla Walla With...
Ranking Context
Walla Walla outranks 42% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #220 | Portland-South Portland, ME | 48.1 | C+ |
| #221 | Niles, MI | 48.1 | C+ |
| #222 | Jacksonville, NC | 48.1 | C+ |
| #223 | Walla Walla, WA | 48.0 | C+ |
| #224 | Chambersburg, PA | 48.0 | C+ |
| #225 | Victoria, TX | 48.0 | C+ |
| #226 | Tyler, TX | 47.9 | C+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Walla Walla, WA is bottom 43% lowest-quality nationally but only bottom 26% least affordable among its composite-quality peers -- its Life Score is earned mostly outside the cost dimension, not through being a budget option.
WA Metro Scores
Read with Walla Walla
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Walla Walla (MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Chambersburg, PA
ABS(composite) peer at 48.0 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Victoria, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 48.0 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Jacksonville, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 48.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Niles, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 48.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C+ vs this page's MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 26/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Boise City, ID (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 26/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Walla Walla, WA relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Walla Walla's middle-third Life Score
Walla Walla scores 48.0/100 overall, but Wages (79.0) and Childcare (11.5) sit 67.5 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Wages is the strongest of Walla Walla'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
- Childcare is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Yakima is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Yakima
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.