Chesapeake, VA

The affordability dashboard for Chesapeake, VA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 6 ZIP codes covering 222,272 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B- (65/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $100,682, median home value of $372,614, median rent of $1,646 per month, and 36.6% 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 $1,713 per month (studio $1,492, 1BR $1,512, 3BR $2,376, 4BR $2,797). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $12,314 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. Strengths visible in the raw data for Chesapeake, VA include income, rent. Unemployment currently reads 4.6% and poverty 9.5% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.