Muncie, IN

The affordability dashboard for Muncie, IN aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 5 ZIP codes covering 93,768 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (62/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $52,611, median home value of $122,078, median rent of $928 per month, and 31.0% 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 $1,043 per month (studio $803, 1BR $845, 3BR $1,349, 4BR $1,685).

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 Muncie, IN include housing. Pressure points are income. Unemployment currently reads 6.7% and poverty 23.1% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.