Chester, VA

The affordability dashboard for Chester, VA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 2 ZIP codes covering 44,523 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (63/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $97,079, median home value of $341,764, median rent of $1,652 per month, and 37.2% 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 $1,655 per month (studio $1,442, 1BR $1,507, 3BR $2,072, 4BR $2,553). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $14,503 per year, consuming 15% 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 Chester, VA include income, rent. Unemployment currently reads 3.6% and poverty 5.9% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.