Fairfield, IA

The affordability dashboard for Fairfield, IA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 2 ZIP codes covering 13,332 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B- (65/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $59,243, median home value of $166,800, median rent of $878 per month, and 48.2% 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 $1,084 per month (studio $821, 1BR $826, 3BR $1,300, 4BR $1,435). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,322 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. Strengths visible in the raw data for Fairfield, IA include education, rent. Unemployment currently reads 9.0% and poverty 16.8% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.