Mason, TX

The affordability dashboard for Mason, TX aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 3,582 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B- (67/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $74,677, median home value of $292,400, median rent of $800 per month, and 41.2% 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 $1,024 per month (studio $796, 1BR $819, 3BR $1,333, 4BR $1,507). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $5,876 per year, consuming 8% 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, TX include rent, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 3.5% and poverty 4.3% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.