Dauphin, PA

The affordability dashboard for Dauphin, PA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 4,313 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (62/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $72,188, median home value of $238,700, median rent of $1,063 per month, and 36.9% 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 $1,493 per month (studio $1,058, 1BR $1,212, 3BR $1,920, 4BR $1,977).

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. Unemployment currently reads 1.9% and poverty 8.8% - numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.