Littleton, NC

The affordability dashboard for Littleton, NC aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 7,247 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (60/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $65,672, median home value of $192,600, median rent of $616 per month, and 28.7% 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 $925 per month (studio $638, 1BR $742, 3BR $1,190, 4BR $1,367). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $9,064 per year, consuming 14% 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 Littleton, NC include rent. Pressure points are commute. Unemployment currently reads 3.8% and poverty 17.9% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.