Gardner, KS

The affordability dashboard for Gardner, KS aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 20,961 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B (70/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $97,822, median home value of $313,100, median rent of $1,314 per month, and 33.2% 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 $1,358 per month (studio $1,095, 1BR $1,197, 3BR $1,769, 4BR $2,103). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $11,634 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 Gardner, KS include income, rent. Unemployment currently reads 3.8% and poverty 6.1% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.