Ely, IA

The affordability dashboard for Ely, IA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 2,461 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of A- (81/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $120,230, median home value of $341,900, median rent of $897 per month, and 39.3% 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 $1,071 per month (studio $738, 1BR $816, 3BR $1,490, 4BR $1,797). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,631 per year, consuming 7% 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 Ely, IA include income, rent, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 1.6% and poverty 1.8% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.