Cougar, WA

The affordability dashboard for Cougar, WA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 150 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of F (3/100). The headline inputs are median household income of —, median home value of —, median rent of — per month, and 3.1% 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 $1,451 per month (studio $1,000, 1BR $1,199, 3BR $2,018, 4BR $2,434). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $18,580 per year.

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 0.0% and poverty 3.1% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.