Modesto, CA

The affordability dashboard for Modesto, CA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 7 ZIP codes covering 255,354 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (42/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $78,402, median home value of $432,386, median rent of $1,665 per month, and 19.3% 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 $1,758 per month (studio $1,255, 1BR $1,356, 3BR $2,442, 4BR $2,823). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $16,449 per year, consuming 21% 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, housing, commute, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 7.8% and poverty 14.4% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.