Augusta, GA

The affordability dashboard for Augusta, GA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 8 ZIP codes covering 202,193 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (58/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $59,984, median home value of $189,389, median rent of $1,171 per month, and 28.2% 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 $1,261 per month (studio $939, 1BR $1,114, 3BR $1,627, 4BR $1,984). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,436 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. Unemployment currently reads 7.5% and poverty 18.7% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.