Branson, MO

The affordability dashboard for Branson, MO aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 24,284 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (54/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $60,489, median home value of $268,900, median rent of $961 per month, and 29.4% 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 $1,029 per month (studio $779, 1BR $784, 3BR $1,329, 4BR $1,522).

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 Branson, MO include rent. Pressure points are housing. Unemployment currently reads 4.0% and poverty 17.9% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.