Elberta, MI

The affordability dashboard for Elberta, MI aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 372 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of A- (83/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $114,375, median home value of $267,600, median rent of — per month, and 35.8% 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 $1,224 per month (studio $904, 1BR $937, 3BR $1,586, 4BR $1,720). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $6,906 per year, consuming 6% 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 Elberta, MI include income, housing, rent, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 5.1% and poverty 0.0% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.