Lafayette, IN

The affordability dashboard for Lafayette, IN aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 4 ZIP codes covering 98,078 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (61/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $63,712, median home value of $214,200, median rent of $1,094 per month, and 31.1% 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 $1,242 per month (studio $894, 1BR $1,032, 3BR $1,489, 4BR $1,992).

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 Lafayette, IN include commute. Unemployment currently reads 3.0% and poverty 14.7% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.