Athens, GA

The affordability dashboard for Athens, GA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 6 ZIP codes covering 116,272 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (48/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $54,301, median home value of $307,267, median rent of $1,216 per month, and 45.9% 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 $1,331 per month (studio $1,159, 1BR $1,183, 3BR $1,734, 4BR $1,831). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,436 per year, consuming 14% 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 Athens, GA include education. Pressure points are housing. Unemployment currently reads 5.2% and poverty 25.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.