Cortez, CO

The affordability dashboard for Cortez, CO aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 14,459 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (45/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $59,506, median home value of $289,000, median rent of $969 per month, and 26.4% 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 $1,180 per month (studio $852, 1BR $906, 3BR $1,569, 4BR $1,850). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $10,104 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 housing. Unemployment currently reads 3.6% and poverty 12.4% - numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.