Herscher, IL

The affordability dashboard for Herscher, IL aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 2,039 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B- (69/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $85,000, median home value of $205,900, median rent of $975 per month, and 30.7% 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 $1,326 per month (studio $914, 1BR $1,011, 3BR $1,745, 4BR $1,774). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $10,487 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 Herscher, IL include housing, rent. Unemployment currently reads 7.7% and poverty 14.1% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.