Bridgeton, NJ

The affordability dashboard for Bridgeton, NJ aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 46,872 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (45/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $65,516, median home value of $202,200, median rent of $1,334 per month, and 14.6% 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 $1,673 per month (studio $1,280, 1BR $1,375, 3BR $2,303, 4BR $2,311). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $14,891 per year, consuming 23% 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 education, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 5.9% and poverty 18.9% - numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.