Meriden, NH

The affordability dashboard for Meriden, NH aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 524 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B+ (79/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $153,750, median home value of $594,400, median rent of $2,188 per month, and 47.8% 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 $1,747 per month (studio $1,216, 1BR $1,332, 3BR $2,418, 4BR $2,694). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $14,861 per year, consuming 10% 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 Meriden, NH include income, education, rent, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 1.6% and poverty 9.4% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.