Mankato, MN

The affordability dashboard for Mankato, MN aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 2 ZIP codes covering 60,662 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (64/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $72,605, median home value of $275,211, median rent of $1,096 per month, and 36.8% 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 $1,171 per month (studio $971, 1BR $977, 3BR $1,629, 4BR $1,916). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $10,972 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 Mankato, MN include commute, rent. Unemployment currently reads 4.9% and poverty 15.5% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.