Kalamazoo, MI

The affordability dashboard for Kalamazoo, MI aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 7 ZIP codes covering 158,937 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (62/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $63,879, median home value of $226,010, median rent of $1,092 per month, and 39.8% 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 $1,162 per month (studio $838, 1BR $998, 3BR $1,531, 4BR $1,571). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,320 per year, consuming 13% 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 Kalamazoo, MI include rent. Unemployment currently reads 6.2% and poverty 17.0% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.