Columbia, PA

The affordability dashboard for Columbia, PA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 17,836 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 $66,684, median home value of $245,200, median rent of $1,072 per month, and 23.7% 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 $1,526 per month (studio $1,102, 1BR $1,220, 3BR $1,980, 4BR $2,020).

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. Unemployment currently reads 2.1% and poverty 13.3% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.