Laredo, TX

The affordability dashboard for Laredo, TX aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 6 ZIP codes covering 248,858 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (59/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $60,918, median home value of $181,877, median rent of $1,094 per month, and 20.0% 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 $1,161 per month (studio $956, 1BR $962, 3BR $1,499, 4BR $1,551). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $6,552 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 5.6% and poverty 22.2% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.