Dalton, GA

The affordability dashboard for Dalton, GA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 2 ZIP codes covering 80,496 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (59/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $64,525, median home value of $210,713, median rent of $983 per month, and 18.6% 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 $1,121 per month (studio $776, 1BR $899, 3BR $1,461, 4BR $1,876). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,436 per year, consuming 12% 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 Dalton, GA include rent. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 4.4% and poverty 16.5% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.