Duluth, MN

The affordability dashboard for Duluth, MN aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 11 ZIP codes covering 116,688 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B- (66/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $77,405, median home value of $275,895, median rent of $1,241 per month, and 42.1% 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 $1,232 per month (studio $849, 1BR $978, 3BR $1,689, 4BR $2,067). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $10,972 per year, consuming 14% 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 Duluth, MN include education, commute, rent. Unemployment currently reads 4.1% and poverty 14.0% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.