Columbus, OH

The affordability dashboard for Columbus, OH aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 30 ZIP codes covering 783,285 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (53/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $67,868, median home value of $282,889, median rent of $1,258 per month, and 39.2% 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 $1,430 per month (studio $1,111, 1BR $1,194, 3BR $1,715, 4BR $1,927). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $15,340 per year, consuming 23% 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 housing, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 5.6% and poverty 18.5% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.