Mason, MI

The affordability dashboard for Mason, MI aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 18,598 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B+ (77/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $94,716, median home value of $248,600, median rent of $1,202 per month, and 39.3% 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 $1,268 per month (studio $973, 1BR $1,012, 3BR $1,627, 4BR $1,679). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,778 per year, consuming 9% 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 Mason, MI include income, housing, rent, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 4.0% and poverty 4.9% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.