Boulder, MT

The affordability dashboard for Boulder, MT aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 1,939 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (50/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $68,750, median home value of $278,800, median rent of $919 per month, and 25.2% 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 $1,404 per month (studio $968, 1BR $1,070, 3BR $1,946, 4BR $1,954). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $11,893 per year, consuming 17% 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 housing. Unemployment currently reads 5.9% and poverty 4.1% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.