Madison, VA

The affordability dashboard for Madison, VA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 5,547 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (58/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $84,857, median home value of $379,900, median rent of $1,192 per month, and 28.2% 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 $1,066 per month (studio $923, 1BR $971, 3BR $1,483, 4BR $1,667). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $13,150 per year, consuming 15% 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 Madison, VA include rent. Pressure points are housing. Unemployment currently reads 4.9% and poverty 9.3% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.