Killeen, TX

The affordability dashboard for Killeen, TX aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 4 ZIP codes covering 134,151 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 $61,962, median home value of $199,333, median rent of $1,296 per month, and 21.5% 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 $1,233 per month (studio $983, 1BR $990, 3BR $1,711, 4BR $2,068). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $6,916 per year, consuming 11% 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 education. Unemployment currently reads 8.3% and poverty 17.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.