Lancaster, NH

The affordability dashboard for Lancaster, NH aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 3,774 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (57/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $66,768, median home value of $209,500, median rent of $1,028 per month, and 29.5% 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 $1,287 per month (studio $988, 1BR $994, 3BR $1,702, 4BR $1,708). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $13,992 per year, consuming 21% 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 childcare. Unemployment currently reads 1.7% and poverty 17.9% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.