Galien, MI

The affordability dashboard for Galien, MI aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 1,904 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (53/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $59,219, median home value of $171,600, median rent of $859 per month, and 15.2% 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 $1,184 per month (studio $816, 1BR $902, 3BR $1,556, 4BR $1,568). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,131 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. Pressure points are education, commute. Unemployment currently reads 9.1% and poverty 15.0% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.