Aberdeen, MD

The affordability dashboard for Aberdeen, MD aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 21,487 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (53/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $83,238, median home value of $285,800, median rent of $1,442 per month, and 28.2% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. These four metrics alone explain most of the variance between city dashboards.

Cross-agency feeds widen the picture beyond Census demographics. HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in this county at $1,857 per month (studio $1,362, 1BR $1,511, 3BR $2,358, 4BR $2,611). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $16,897 per year, consuming 20% of the local median household income.

Reading the overall grade requires reading all seven dimensions together. The score weights Income 20%, Safety 20%, Housing 15%, Rent 15%, Education 10%, Commute 10%, and Childcare 10%, with each sub-score benchmarked against national percentiles rather than state averages, so the grade is genuinely comparable across any city in the country. Pressure points are commute, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 5.7% and poverty 12.7% - numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.