Bentonia, MS

The affordability dashboard for Bentonia, MS aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 3,295 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (55/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $61,250, median home value of $212,200, median rent of $1,047 per month, and 21.3% 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 $984 per month (studio $745, 1BR $750, 3BR $1,209, 4BR $1,303). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,980 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 Bentonia, MS include rent. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 5.5% and poverty 8.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.