Nelson, NH

The affordability dashboard for Nelson, NH aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 852 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 $100,625, median home value of $353,300, median rent of $1,250 per month, and 60.0% 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 $1,926 per month (studio $1,328, 1BR $1,468, 3BR $2,518, 4BR $2,550). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $14,803 per year, consuming 15% 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 Nelson, NH include income, education. Unemployment currently reads 0.8% and poverty 2.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.