Ajo, AZ

The affordability dashboard for Ajo, AZ aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 4,435 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (48/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $53,180, median home value of $119,000, median rent of $875 per month, and 25.4% 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 $1,402 per month (studio $967, 1BR $1,081, 3BR $1,950, 4BR $2,245). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $13,000 per year, consuming 24% 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. Strengths visible in the raw data for Ajo, AZ include housing. Pressure points are childcare. Unemployment currently reads 8.4% and poverty 17.2% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.