Lafayette, LA

The affordability dashboard for Lafayette, LA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 5 ZIP codes covering 151,705 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (63/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $66,553, median home value of $239,131, median rent of $1,073 per month, and 38.0% 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 $1,019 per month (studio $779, 1BR $898, 3BR $1,301, 4BR $1,581). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,233 per year, consuming 12% 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 Lafayette, LA include rent. Unemployment currently reads 5.9% and poverty 18.8% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.