Cascade Locks, OR

The affordability dashboard for Cascade Locks, OR aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 1,288 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (43/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $75,000, median home value of $387,700, median rent of $1,074 per month, and 29.5% 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 $1,884 per month (studio $1,311, 1BR $1,436, 3BR $2,620, 4BR $3,160). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $17,799 per year, consuming 24% 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, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 6.5% and poverty 7.7% - numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.