Macon, GA

The affordability dashboard for Macon, GA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 9 ZIP codes covering 165,895 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (51/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $53,349, median home value of $169,744, median rent of $1,056 per month, and 25.0% 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 $1,307 per month (studio $1,085, 1BR $1,158, 3BR $1,567, 4BR $1,731). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,436 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. Unemployment currently reads 8.3% and poverty 25.0% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.