Climax, MN

The affordability dashboard for Climax, MN aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 539 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (57/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $56,685, median home value of $147,000, median rent of $950 per month, and 32.1% 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 $1,089 per month (studio $863, 1BR $868, 3BR $1,515, 4BR $1,827). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $11,388 per year, consuming 20% 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 Climax, MN include housing. Pressure points are childcare. Unemployment currently reads 3.5% and poverty 12.3% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.