Elma, NY

The affordability dashboard for Elma, NY aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 8,933 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B+ (76/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $113,555, median home value of $346,500, median rent of $1,160 per month, and 46.7% 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 $1,343 per month (studio $1,105, 1BR $1,139, 3BR $1,640, 4BR $1,869). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $15,028 per year, consuming 13% 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 Elma, NY include income, education, rent. Unemployment currently reads 6.7% and poverty 4.2% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.