Metro Life Score
York-Hanover, PA
Below-median composite Life Score — grade B-, 48th percentile of the national corpus.
- 49.4
- Life Score / 100
- B-
- Grade (curved)
- #200
- of 387 metros
- 48%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
York-Hanover is below-median composite Life Score — #200 of 387 (49.4/100, grade B-, 48th percentile). Carried by safety at 74/100; held back most by schools at 23/100.
- 48th
- composite percentile
- #200
- of 387 peers
- 37th
- cost dimension percentile
- 56th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SAFE-LED · signature cost
York-Hanover: mid-pack cost with a distinct Life Score shape
York-Hanover sits mid-pack on cost (≈37th percentile, DEAR) with composite #200 of 387 (49.4/100). Profile SAFE-LED; wages mark MID. Strongest safety 74/100; weakest schools 23/100. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, York-Hanover, PA ranks #200 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #243 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 96.0 (rent-RPP 79.8). BLS median salary $65,230, 176,090 jobs (Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Stockers and Order Fillers, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,335/mo (studio $925).
FBI UCR (PA): 250 violent, 1457 property/100K. NCES: 13.0:1 ratio, 6.0% charter. EPA: 127 Superfund sites (PA).
Where York-Hanover sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
49 48th percentile higher than 48% 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 49.4 is built
York-Hanover's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How York-Hanover 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 York-Hanover With...
Ranking Context
York-Hanover outranks 48% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #197 | Springfield, MO | 49.7 | B- |
| #198 | Harrisonburg, VA | 49.7 | B- |
| #199 | Corpus Christi, TX | 49.7 | B- |
| #200 | York-Hanover, PA | 49.4 | B- |
| #201 | Jonesboro, AR | 49.4 | B- |
| #202 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 49.3 | B- |
| #203 | Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | 49.3 | B- |
Quality vs. Affordability
York-Hanover, PA's quality rank (bottom 49% lowest-quality) and affordability rank (bottom 37% least affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
PA Metro Scores
Read with York-Hanover
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for York-Hanover (MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Jonesboro, AR
ABS(composite) peer at 49.4 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID.
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
ABS(composite) peer at 49.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID.
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
ABS(composite) peer at 49.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID.
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
ABS(composite) peer at 49.2 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID.
Springfield, MA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 37/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Vineland, NJ (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 38/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
York-Hanover, PA relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SAFE-LED · DEAR/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using York-Hanover's middle-third Life Score
York-Hanover scores 49.4/100 overall, but Safety (73.6) and Schools (22.5) sit 51.0 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of York-Hanover'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.