Appleton, WA

The affordability dashboard for Appleton, WA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 200 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of F (38/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $53,617, median home value of -, median rent of - per month, and 28.9% 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 $1,336 per month (studio $921, 1BR $1,018, 3BR $1,602, 4BR $1,825). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $18,580 per year, consuming 35% 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 childcare. Unemployment currently reads 0.0% and poverty 29.1% - numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.