Kent, OH

The affordability dashboard for Kent, OH aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 2 ZIP codes covering 43,585 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (50/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $57,627, median home value of $226,500, median rent of $1,025 per month, and 41.3% 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 $1,268 per month (studio $904, 1BR $985, 3BR $1,547, 4BR $1,681). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $15,340 per year, consuming 27% 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 housing, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 8.3% and poverty 21.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.