Independence, MO

The affordability dashboard for Independence, MO aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 8 ZIP codes covering 123,373 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (56/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $61,474, median home value of $174,208, median rent of $1,149 per month, and 20.9% 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 $1,358 per month (studio $1,095, 1BR $1,197, 3BR $1,769, 4BR $2,103).

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 5.4% and poverty 15.5% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.