Montezuma, IA

The affordability dashboard for Montezuma, IA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 2,923 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (58/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $65,000, median home value of $216,000, median rent of $828 per month, and 17.5% 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 $988 per month (studio $733, 1BR $853, 3BR $1,303, 4BR $1,308). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,396 per year, consuming 13% 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 Montezuma, IA include rent. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 3.9% and poverty 7.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.