Marydel, MD

The affordability dashboard for Marydel, MD aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 1,858 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (49/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $68,542, median home value of $222,700, median rent of $2,105 per month, and 12.9% 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 $1,314 per month (studio $995, 1BR $1,001, 3BR $1,642, 4BR $2,184). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $11,280 per year, consuming 16% 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 education, commute. Unemployment currently reads 3.6% and poverty 14.2% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.