Cambridge, MD

The affordability dashboard for Cambridge, MD aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 17,330 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (40/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $53,890, median home value of $283,900, median rent of $1,042 per month, and 21.7% 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 $1,144 per month (studio $947, 1BR $952, 3BR $1,591, 4BR $1,919). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $10,848 per year, consuming 20% 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, housing, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 7.2% and poverty 22.0% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.