Barnstead, NH

The affordability dashboard for Barnstead, NH aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 960 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B (72/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $112,500, median home value of $346,900, median rent of $1,469 per month, and 32.5% 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 $1,800 per month (studio $1,241, 1BR $1,425, 3BR $2,219, 4BR $2,676). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $14,955 per year, consuming 13% 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 Barnstead, NH include income, rent. Unemployment currently reads 5.5% and poverty 8.0% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.