Choteau, MT

The affordability dashboard for Choteau, MT aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 2,643 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (51/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $67,500, median home value of $256,500, median rent of $710 per month, and 26.1% 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 $1,360 per month (studio $1,019, 1BR $1,241, 3BR $1,891, 4BR $2,171). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $12,515 per year, consuming 19% 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 childcare. Unemployment currently reads 0.7% and poverty 18.7% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.