Mammoth Cave, KY

The affordability dashboard for Mammoth Cave, KY aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 1,281 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of F (19/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $33,566, median home value of $148,100, median rent of $1,048 per month, and 5.0% 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 $1,153 per month (studio $889, 1BR $985, 3BR $1,384, 4BR $1,806). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,388 per year, consuming 22% 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 income, education, housing, rent, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 12.7% and poverty 22.8% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.