Monticello, AR

The affordability dashboard for Monticello, AR aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 15,387 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (52/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $43,346, median home value of $138,300, median rent of $724 per month, and 27.0% 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 $927 per month (studio $664, 1BR $706, 3BR $1,224, 4BR $1,227).

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 Monticello, AR include commute. Pressure points are income. Unemployment currently reads 6.4% and poverty 21.9% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.