Metro Life Score
Yakima, WA
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 58th percentile of the national corpus.
- 51.7
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #162
- of 387 metros
- 58%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Yakima is above-median composite Life Score — #162 of 387 (51.7/100, grade B, 58th percentile). Carried by schools at 80/100; held back most by childcare at 11/100.
- 58th
- composite percentile
- #162
- of 387 peers
- 40th
- cost dimension percentile
- 74th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · signature wages
Yakima: pay power is the signature
Yakima stamps MID · SCHOOL-STRONG with wages at the 74th percentile of the metro corpus (HIGH) — ahead of its cost mark (MID, 40th) and composite #162. Schools (80/100) amplifies the lead; Childcare (11/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Yakima, WA ranks #162 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #231 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 95.5 (rent-RPP 72.6). BLS median salary $70,002, 90,310 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,374/mo (studio $1,040).
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 Yakima sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
52 58th percentile higher than 58% 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 51.7 is built
Yakima's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Yakima 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 Yakima With...
Ranking Context
Yakima outranks 58% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #159 | Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 51.8 | B |
| #160 | Pittsburgh, PA | 51.9 | B |
| #161 | Pueblo, CO | 52.0 | B |
| #162 | Yakima, WA | 51.7 | B |
| #163 | Burlington-South Burlington, VT | 51.7 | B |
| #164 | Flint, MI | 51.7 | B |
| #165 | Columbus, OH | 51.6 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Yakima, WA is top 42% highest-quality nationally but only bottom 41% 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 Yakima
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Yakima (MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Burlington-South Burlington, VT
ABS(composite) peer at 51.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH.
Flint, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 51.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH.
Salt Lake City-Murray, UT
ABS(composite) peer at 51.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH.
Columbus, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 51.6 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH.
Albuquerque, NM (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 40/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Grand Junction, CO (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 41/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Yakima, WA relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SCHOOL-STRONG · MID/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Yakima's middle-third Life Score
Yakima scores 51.7/100 overall, but Schools (79.5) and Childcare (10.9) sit 68.7 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Schools is the strongest of Yakima's seven dimensions (weighted 10% 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
- Longview is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Longview
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.