Elkhart, IN

The affordability dashboard for Elkhart, IN aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 3 ZIP codes covering 97,528 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (58/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $60,417, median home value of $177,529, median rent of $1,037 per month, and 18.3% 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 $1,183 per month (studio $968, 1BR $992, 3BR $1,553, 4BR $1,581).

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 Elkhart, IN include commute. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 3.8% and poverty 14.5% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.