Franklin, KY

The affordability dashboard for Franklin, KY aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 16,785 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 $59,113, median home value of $226,800, median rent of $1,002 per month, and 18.9% 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 $1,055 per month (studio $754, 1BR $872, 3BR $1,405, 4BR $1,473). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,031 per year, consuming 12% 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 Franklin, KY include rent. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 3.4% and poverty 15.8% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.