Emmitsburg, MD

The affordability dashboard for Emmitsburg, MD aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 5,850 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (54/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $95,236, median home value of $331,100, median rent of $775 per month, and 26.1% 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 $2,246 per month (studio $1,953, 1BR $2,015, 3BR $2,835, 4BR $3,332). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $16,897 per year, consuming 18% 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 Emmitsburg, MD include income. Pressure points are commute. Unemployment currently reads 2.7% and poverty 11.3% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.