Monroe, LA

The affordability dashboard for Monroe, LA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 4 ZIP codes covering 86,622 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (50/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $47,310, median home value of $169,500, median rent of $957 per month, and 29.4% 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 $1,026 per month (studio $765, 1BR $793, 3BR $1,319, 4BR $1,358). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,147 per year, consuming 17% 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 income. Unemployment currently reads 8.7% and poverty 30.2% - numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.