Fence, WI

The affordability dashboard for Fence, WI aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 245 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (48/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $53,906, median home value of $168,100, median rent of — per month, and 8.4% 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 $1,007 per month (studio $715, 1BR $767, 3BR $1,241, 4BR $1,384). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $9,464 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. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 1.4% and poverty 6.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.