Metro Life Score
Williamsport, PA
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B-, 53rd percentile of the national corpus.
- 50.6
- Life Score / 100
- B-
- Grade (curved)
- #180
- of 387 metros
- 53%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Williamsport is above-median composite Life Score — #180 of 387 (50.6/100, grade B-, 53rd percentile). Carried by safety at 74/100; held back most by schools at 22/100.
- 53rd
- composite percentile
- #180
- of 387 peers
- 61st
- cost dimension percentile
- 25th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SAFE-LED · signature wages
Williamsport: wage lag defines the peer set
Williamsport is a MID-band metro where wages sit at only the 25th percentile (LOW) while cost is MID (61st) and composite #180. Schools at 22/100 is the clearest drag; Safety (74/100) is the offset. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Williamsport, PA ranks #180 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #152 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 92.3 (rent-RPP 64.4). BLS median salary $60,281, 42,720 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,195/mo (studio $824).
FBI UCR (PA): 250 violent, 1457 property/100K. NCES: 13.0:1 ratio, 6.0% charter. EPA: 127 Superfund sites (PA).
Where Williamsport sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
51 53rd percentile higher than 53% 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 50.6 is built
Williamsport's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Williamsport scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are PA state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Williamsport With...
Ranking Context
Williamsport outranks 53% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #177 | Elkhart-Goshen, IN | 50.7 | B- |
| #178 | Warner Robins, GA | 50.8 | B- |
| #179 | Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | 50.8 | B- |
| #180 | Williamsport, PA | 50.6 | B- |
| #181 | Kennewick-Richland, WA | 50.6 | B- |
| #182 | Jefferson City, MO | 50.5 | B- |
| #183 | Greensboro-High Point, NC | 50.4 | B- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Williamsport, PA's quality rank (top 47% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 39% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
PA Metro Scores
Read with Williamsport
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Williamsport (MID · SAFE-LED · MID/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Kennewick-Richland, WA
ABS(composite) peer at 50.6 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/LOW.
Elkhart-Goshen, IN
ABS(composite) peer at 50.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/LOW.
Jefferson City, MO
ABS(composite) peer at 50.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/LOW.
Abilene, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 50.8 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/LOW.
Memphis, TN-MS-AR (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 61/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Niles, MI (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 61/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Williamsport, PA relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SAFE-LED · MID/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Williamsport's middle-third Life Score
Williamsport scores 50.6/100 overall, but Safety (73.8) and Schools (22.3) sit 51.6 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Williamsport's seven dimensions (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Schools is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Johnstown is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Johnstown
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.