Alpha, MN

The affordability dashboard for Alpha, MN aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 420 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of A- (82/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $98,125, median home value of $104,800, median rent of $1,268 per month, and 35.1% 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 $973 per month (studio $671, 1BR $846, 3BR $1,283, 4BR $1,288). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $9,100 per year, consuming 9% 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 Alpha, MN include income, housing, rent, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 1.8% and poverty 7.3% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.