Fortine, MT

The affordability dashboard for Fortine, MT aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 592 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 $67,250, median home value of $353,300, median rent of $1,308 per month, and 27.0% 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 $1,170 per month (studio $919, 1BR $1,067, 3BR $1,627, 4BR $1,892). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $11,651 per year, consuming 17% 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 Fortine, MT include rent. Pressure points are housing. Unemployment currently reads 9.4% and poverty 14.9% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.