Chattanooga, TN

The affordability dashboard for Chattanooga, TN aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 15 ZIP codes covering 198,659 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 $66,566, median home value of $282,657, median rent of $1,216 per month, and 35.1% 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 $1,390 per month (studio $1,211, 1BR $1,263, 3BR $1,734, 4BR $1,853). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $11,007 per year, consuming 17% 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. Strengths visible in the raw data for Chattanooga, TN include commute. Pressure points are housing. Unemployment currently reads 5.4% and poverty 18.2% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.