Eldon, IA

The affordability dashboard for Eldon, IA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 1,373 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (56/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $55,769, median home value of $82,400, median rent of $692 per month, and 7.3% 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 $1,068 per month (studio $793, 1BR $814, 3BR $1,354, 4BR $1,468). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,560 per year, consuming 15% 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 Eldon, IA include housing. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 10.0% and poverty 18.7% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.