Monroe, ME

The affordability dashboard for Monroe, ME aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 906 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B- (67/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $81,300, median home value of $220,300, median rent of $1,165 per month, and 29.1% 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 $1,438 per month (studio $1,156, 1BR $1,163, 3BR $1,865, 4BR $2,025). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $11,700 per year, consuming 14% 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 Monroe, ME include housing, rent. Unemployment currently reads 5.7% and poverty 11.3% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.