Hiwassee, VA

The affordability dashboard for Hiwassee, VA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 1,931 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 $55,156, median home value of $159,600, median rent of $850 per month, and 14.9% 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 $921 per month (studio $699, 1BR $840, 3BR $1,252, 4BR $1,545). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,980 per year, consuming 16% 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 Hiwassee, VA include rent. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 3.7% and poverty 32.1% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.