Belgrade, MT

The affordability dashboard for Belgrade, MT aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 18,182 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (57/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $96,183, median home value of $548,600, median rent of $1,794 per month, and 38.8% 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 $2,154 per month (studio $1,485, 1BR $1,642, 3BR $2,996, 4BR $3,537). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $12,340 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 Belgrade, MT include income. Pressure points are housing. Unemployment currently reads 2.2% and poverty 7.8% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.