Melfa, VA

The affordability dashboard for Melfa, VA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 2,015 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (46/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $54,050, median home value of $195,100, median rent of $985 per month, and 18.6% 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 $1,054 per month (studio $740, 1BR $856, 3BR $1,367, 4BR $1,549). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $9,870 per year, consuming 18% 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, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 6.2% and poverty 9.8% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.