Aspen, CO

The affordability dashboard for Aspen, CO aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 2 ZIP codes covering 9,941 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (49/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $82,664, median home value of $988,000, median rent of $1,959 per month, and 67.7% 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 $2,214 per month (studio $1,526, 1BR $2,020, 3BR $2,826, 4BR $3,471). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $14,170 per year, consuming 17% 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 Aspen, CO include education. Pressure points are housing. Unemployment currently reads 2.1% and poverty 9.5% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.