Benedict, MD

The affordability dashboard for Benedict, MD aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 261 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of F (9/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $41,118, median home value of —, median rent of — per month, and 0.0% 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 $2,246 per month (studio $1,953, 1BR $2,015, 3BR $2,835, 4BR $3,332). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $16,816 per year, consuming 41% 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 income, education, rent, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 0.0% and poverty 23.0% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.