Helm, CA

The affordability dashboard for Helm, CA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 123 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of F (22/100). The headline inputs are median household income of —, median home value of —, median rent of — per month, and 16.4% 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 $1,664 per month (studio $1,347, 1BR $1,355, 3BR $2,314, 4BR $2,660). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $21,611 per year.

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 0.0% and poverty 35.3% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.