Dalton, MA

The affordability dashboard for Dalton, MA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 6,945 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 $79,438, median home value of $295,700, median rent of $872 per month, and 44.3% 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 $1,626 per month (studio $1,245, 1BR $1,269, 3BR $2,109, 4BR $2,577). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $17,160 per year, consuming 22% 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, MA include education. Pressure points are childcare. Unemployment currently reads 7.2% and poverty 7.4% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.