PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Williamsport, PA

54.7
Life Score / 100
B
Grade (curved)
#130
of 387 metros
66%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Williamsport ranks #130 of 387 US metros, ahead of 66% - carried by its environment (98/100) and held back most by schools (19/100).

98
strongest: Environment
68
then: Safety
19
weakest: Schools
7
weighted dimensions

Where Williamsport sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

55 66th percentile higher than 66% 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 Williamsport Life Score

Williamsport's composite score of 54.7 out of 100, a grade of B, places the metro at rank #130 of 387, ahead of 66% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Environment (98/100) and Safety (68/100), which pull the composite upward, while Schools (19/100) and Wages (28/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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: 13.6:1 ratio, 6.0% charter. EPA: 127 Superfund sites (PA). Ranks #127-#133 below.

Dimension detail

How Williamsport scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 61/100 (20%)
Wages 28/100 (20%)
Rent 64/100 (15%)
Safety 68/100 (15%)
Schools 19/100 (10%)
Childcare -/100 (10%)
Environment 98/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

92.3
Cost Index (RPP)
$60,281
Avg Median Salary
$1,195
2BR Fair Market Rent
250
Violent Crime/100K (PA)
13.6:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
127
Superfund Sites (PA)
42,720
Total Employment

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

Compare Williamsport With...

Williamsport vs Johnstown Compare → Williamsport vs Pittsburgh Compare → Williamsport vs York Compare → Williamsport vs Wildwood Compare → Williamsport vs Waterloo Compare → Williamsport vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Williamsport outranks 66% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#127 Sebring, FL 54.8 B
#128 Jackson, MS 54.8 B
#129 Tallahassee, FL 54.9 B
#130 Williamsport, PA 54.7 B
#131 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 54.7 B
#132 St. Louis, MO-IL 54.7 B
#133 Birmingham, AL 54.5 B

PA Metro Scores

Johnstown, PA B+ 56.4 Pittsburgh, PA B 54.0 York-Hanover, PA B 52.7 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA B- 51.9 State College, PA B- 49.9 Erie, PA B- 48.9

Using Williamsport's Life Score

Williamsport 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 (98/100) and its weakest is schools (19/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Williamsport head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Williamsport 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 Williamsport's biggest strengths? ▼
Williamsport's strongest dimensions are Environment (98/100), Safety (68/100), Rent (64/100). Environment is top-tier nationally.
What are Williamsport's weakest areas? ▼
Williamsport's lowest-scoring dimensions are Schools (19/100), Wages (28/100), Cost of Living (61/100). Schools weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Williamsport compared to the national average? ▼
Williamsport's Regional Price Parity is 92.3 (7.7% less than national); rent RPP 64.4.
What is the average salary in Williamsport? ▼
Williamsport median salary: $60,281, 42,720 jobs. Top: Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Williamsport's 54.7/100 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.