Lewistown, MT

The affordability dashboard for Lewistown, MT aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 9,105 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (53/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $64,762, median home value of $242,300, median rent of $970 per month, and 23.0% 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 $1,446 per month (studio $1,084, 1BR $1,102, 3BR $1,991, 4BR $2,338). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $10,890 per year, consuming 17% 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 Lewistown, MT include commute. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 5.1% and poverty 15.7% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.