Metro Life Score

Wichita Falls, TX

Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 67th percentile of the national corpus.

53.8
Life Score / 100
B
Grade (curved)
#129
of 387 metros
67%
composite percentile
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Data updated August 2026

The verdict

Wichita Falls is above-median composite Life Score — #129 of 387 (53.8/100, grade B, 67th percentile). Carried by environment at 90/100; held back most by wages at 8/100.

67th
composite percentile
#129
of 387 peers
76th
cost dimension percentile
7th
wages dimension percentile

Life Score shape · UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · signature wages

Wichita Falls: wage lag defines the peer set

Wichita Falls is a UPPER-band metro where wages sit at only the 7th percentile (LOW) while cost is CHEAP (76th) and composite #129. Wages at 8/100 is the clearest drag; Environment (90/100) is the offset. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Wichita Falls, TX ranks #129 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #91 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.

BEA RPP 89.5 (rent-RPP 68.2). BLS median salary $56,840, 49,490 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, General and Operations Managers, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,136/mo (studio $831).

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).

Where Wichita Falls sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

54 67th percentile higher than 67% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 7 US metros (2%). Below this entry. 35–40: 34 US metros (9%). Below this entry. 40–45: 66 US metros (17%). Below this entry. 45–50: 91 US metros (24%). Below this entry. 50–55: 77 US metros (20%). This entry sits in this band. 55–60: 60 US metros (16%). Above this entry. 60–65: 44 US metros (11%). Above this entry. 65–70: 6 US metros (2%). Above this entry. 70–75: 1 US metros (0%). 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 · August 2026

Dimension detail

How Wichita Falls scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 77/100 (20%)
Wages 8/100 (20%)
Rent 76/100 (15%)
Safety 32/100 (15%)
Schools 47/100 (10%)
Childcare 71/100 (10%)
Environment 90/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

89.5
Cost Index (RPP)
$56,840
Avg Median Salary
$1,136
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)
49,490
Total Employment

Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are TX state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.

Compare Wichita Falls With...

Ranking Context

Wichita Falls outranks 67% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#126 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC 53.9 B
#127 Terre Haute, IN 53.9 B
#128 Evansville, IN 54.0 B
#129 Wichita Falls, TX 53.8 B
#130 Huntsville, AL 53.7 B
#131 Valdosta, GA 53.7 B
#132 Green Bay, WI 53.4 B

TX Metro Scores

Read with Wichita Falls

Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Wichita Falls (UPPER · ENVIRO-LED · CHEAP/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Wichita Falls Life Score 53.8/100 · signature wages · retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare