Alta, IA

The affordability dashboard for Alta, IA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 2,741 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B (71/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $70,625, median home value of $167,100, median rent of $953 per month, and 27.4% 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 $1,010 per month (studio $765, 1BR $770, 3BR $1,240, 4BR $1,337). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,186 per year, consuming 12% 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 Alta, IA include housing, commute, rent. Unemployment currently reads 14.3% and poverty 8.7% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.