Dubuque, IA

The affordability dashboard for Dubuque, IA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 3 ZIP codes covering 71,168 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B (71/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $74,691, median home value of $223,141, median rent of $957 per month, and 35.0% 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 $1,077 per month (studio $774, 1BR $841, 3BR $1,450, 4BR $1,807). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,640 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 Dubuque, IA include commute, rent. Unemployment currently reads 3.9% and poverty 11.5% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.