Dalton, NY

The affordability dashboard for Dalton, NY aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 1,009 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (60/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $74,130, median home value of $114,500, median rent of $1,108 per month, and 15.2% 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 $1,573 per month (studio $1,116, 1BR $1,256, 3BR $1,895, 4BR $2,083). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $12,844 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. Strengths visible in the raw data for Dalton, NY include housing. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 7.6% and poverty 8.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.