Resources
Methodology
Total transparency on how Urblytica calculates every score, rank, and metric. We believe data-driven decisions require knowing how the numbers were made.
Overall Score (0–100)
Each city receives a composite score from 0 to 100, calculated as a weighted blend of four sub-scores. A score of 100 represents a hypothetical "best in dataset" city; 50 is roughly average.
Sub-score weights
Cost of Living Index
A city's cost index is a normalized number where ~100 represents the national average. We blend five weighted expense categories.
Housing dominates because it is by far the largest single line item in most household budgets, and it varies most across cities.
Growth Score
Growth is forward-looking. We blend population trajectory, employment momentum, and economic expansion signals.
All inputs are normalized against the national distribution before being combined, so a fast-growing small city competes fairly against a slower-growing megacity.
Business Climate Score
Business climate considers operating cost, talent availability, regulatory friction, and market access.
Livability Score
The livability score weights quality-of-life factors that influence day-to-day satisfaction.
Normalization & Comparability
Every raw metric is normalized against the dataset distribution before scoring. This means a city's score reflects its position relative to other cities — not an absolute threshold. A score of 80 is meaningful: it's better than 80% of cities in the dataset for that category.
When new data lands, scores can shift slightly even for unchanged cities, because the reference distribution changes. We rebuild scores monthly.
Limits & Disclaimers
Urblytica is an analytical resource, not a personal financial or legal recommendation. Scores are based on aggregate, point-in-time data and cannot capture every individual circumstance. Always verify the latest figures with primary sources for high-stakes decisions.