High Point, NC

The affordability dashboard for High Point, NC aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 4 ZIP codes covering 116,061 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (54/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $62,220, median home value of $217,669, median rent of $1,057 per month, and 29.5% 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 $1,330 per month (studio $1,159, 1BR $1,213, 3BR $1,703, 4BR $1,960). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $11,779 per year, consuming 19% 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 childcare. Unemployment currently reads 4.9% and poverty 15.4% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.