Marshall, TX

The affordability dashboard for Marshall, TX aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 2 ZIP codes covering 34,387 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 $56,419, median home value of $142,181, median rent of $1,000 per month, and 19.9% 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 $1,260 per month (studio $869, 1BR $960, 3BR $1,511, 4BR $1,668). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $6,448 per year, consuming 11% 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 Marshall, TX include housing. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 7.3% and poverty 21.3% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.