Elmore, AL

The affordability dashboard for Elmore, AL aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 5,729 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (51/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $54,414, median home value of $175,700, median rent of $1,122 per month, and 14.1% 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 $1,016 per month (studio $860, 1BR $870, 3BR $1,304, 4BR $1,537). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,582 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. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 12.9% and poverty 17.0% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.