Hastings, MI

The affordability dashboard for Hastings, MI aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 19,127 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (58/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $68,214, median home value of $220,000, median rent of $924 per month, and 24.3% 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 $1,334 per month (studio $1,010, 1BR $1,017, 3BR $1,735, 4BR $2,013). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,800 per year, consuming 11% 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 4.3% and poverty 9.8% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.