Bristol, VA

The affordability dashboard for Bristol, VA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 2 ZIP codes covering 30,021 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 $53,983, median home value of $186,688, median rent of $810 per month, and 23.5% 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 $1,044 per month (studio $720, 1BR $818, 3BR $1,338, 4BR $1,464). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $6,703 per year, consuming 12% 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. Unemployment currently reads 4.8% and poverty 16.1% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.