Menomonie, WI

The affordability dashboard for Menomonie, WI aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 25,642 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 $72,028, median home value of $253,000, median rent of $995 per month, and 35.9% 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 $1,024 per month (studio $781, 1BR $787, 3BR $1,363, 4BR $1,718). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $10,920 per year, consuming 15% 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 Menomonie, WI include commute, rent. Unemployment currently reads 4.8% and poverty 12.9% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.