Bethel, VT

The affordability dashboard for Bethel, VT aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 2,664 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B (70/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $86,688, median home value of $251,200, median rent of $1,316 per month, and 35.9% 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 $1,362 per month (studio $1,161, 1BR $1,168, 3BR $1,786, 4BR $1,844).

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 Bethel, VT include rent. Unemployment currently reads 1.9% and poverty 3.9% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.