Gulfport, MS

The affordability dashboard for Gulfport, MS aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 3 ZIP codes covering 83,530 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (51/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $53,750, median home value of $184,937, median rent of $1,115 per month, and 23.5% 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 $1,140 per month (studio $786, 1BR $923, 3BR $1,471, 4BR $1,612). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,693 per year, consuming 14% 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 8.5% and poverty 20.5% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.