Mcallen, TX

The affordability dashboard for Mcallen, TX aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 3 ZIP codes covering 131,628 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 $61,456, median home value of $180,758, median rent of $1,068 per month, and 31.9% 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 $1,060 per month (studio $842, 1BR $847, 3BR $1,376, 4BR $1,522). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,488 per year, consuming 12% 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 Mcallen, TX include rent. Unemployment currently reads 6.1% and poverty 21.1% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.