Kiln, MS

The affordability dashboard for Kiln, MS aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 7,705 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (52/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $60,739, median home value of $171,200, median rent of $983 per month, and 12.9% 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 $1,140 per month (studio $786, 1BR $923, 3BR $1,471, 4BR $1,612). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,758 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. Pressure points are education, commute. Unemployment currently reads 4.3% and poverty 20.7% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.