Alturas, CA

The affordability dashboard for Alturas, CA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 5,490 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 $61,680, median home value of $211,200, median rent of $841 per month, and 25.2% 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 $1,108 per month (studio $774, 1BR $883, 3BR $1,434, 4BR $1,831). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $11,670 per year, consuming 19% 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 Alturas, CA include rent. Pressure points are childcare. Unemployment currently reads 9.1% and poverty 19.8% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.