Avoca, WI

The affordability dashboard for Avoca, WI aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 1,125 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (50/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $59,861, median home value of $171,500, median rent of $908 per month, and 13.1% 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 $1,168 per month (studio $884, 1BR $890, 3BR $1,535, 4BR $1,959). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $9,464 per year, consuming 16% 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 education, commute. Unemployment currently reads 1.5% and poverty 17.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.