Cleveland, TN

The affordability dashboard for Cleveland, TN aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 3 ZIP codes covering 88,774 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (52/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $65,414, median home value of $257,891, median rent of $1,028 per month, and 24.5% 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 $1,233 per month (studio $850, 1BR $940, 3BR $1,584, 4BR $1,633). 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. Pressure points are education, housing. Unemployment currently reads 6.3% and poverty 12.9% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.