Metro Life Score
Wichita, KS
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B+, 74th percentile of the national corpus.
- 55.6
- Life Score / 100
- B+
- Grade (curved)
- #100
- of 387 metros
- 74%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Wichita is above-median composite Life Score — #100 of 387 (55.6/100, grade B+, 74th percentile). Carried by childcare at 99/100; held back most by safety at 16/100.
- 74th
- composite percentile
- #100
- of 387 peers
- 81st
- cost dimension percentile
- 29th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · BALANCED · signature cost
Wichita: affordability leads the Life Score story
Wichita is a UPPER-band metro whose cost dimension sits at the 81st percentile of 387 US metros (CHEAP) while composite is #100 (55.6/100, grade B+). Childcare at 99/100 carries the upside; Safety at 16/100 is the residual drag. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Wichita, KS ranks #100 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #75 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 88.9 (rent-RPP 66.2). BLS median salary $60,852, 300,890 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,099/mo (studio $782).
FBI UCR (KS): 456 violent, 2090 property/100K. NCES: 13.8:1 ratio, 0.7% charter. DOL infant childcare $5,783/yr. EPA: 20 Superfund sites (KS).
Where Wichita sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
56 74th percentile higher than 74% 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
Dimension detail
How Wichita scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are KS state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Wichita With...
Ranking Context
Wichita outranks 74% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #97 | Muncie, IN | 55.7 | B+ |
| #98 | Lubbock, TX | 55.8 | B+ |
| #99 | Montgomery, AL | 55.9 | B+ |
| #100 | Wichita, KS | 55.6 | B+ |
| #101 | Lima, OH | 55.6 | B+ |
| #102 | Battle Creek, MI | 55.5 | B+ |
| #103 | Canton-Massillon, OH | 55.5 | B+ |
KS Metro Scores
Read with Wichita
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Wichita (UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Lima, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 55.6 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.
Battle Creek, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 55.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.
Canton-Massillon, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 55.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 55.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW.
Cedar Rapids, IA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 81/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Pocatello, ID (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 81/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Wichita, KS relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.