Merom, IN

The affordability dashboard for Merom, IN aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 616 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (52/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $56,484, median home value of $198,800, median rent of $1,077 per month, and 23.8% 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 $1,028 per month (studio $758, 1BR $783, 3BR $1,251, 4BR $1,720).

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 Merom, IN include rent. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 8.2% and poverty 11.3% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.