Midland, MI

The affordability dashboard for Midland, MI aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 2 ZIP codes covering 64,967 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B (74/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $79,219, median home value of $204,029, median rent of $1,046 per month, and 39.9% 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 $1,193 per month (studio $907, 1BR $925, 3BR $1,518, 4BR $1,682). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $6,892 per year, consuming 9% 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 Midland, MI include housing, rent, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 4.2% and poverty 10.7% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.