Nelson, VA

The affordability dashboard for Nelson, VA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 613 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (60/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $54,853, median home value of $127,600, median rent of $676 per month, and 26.4% 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 $950 per month (studio $719, 1BR $724, 3BR $1,224, 4BR $1,258). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,339 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, VA include housing, rent. Unemployment currently reads 0.0% and poverty 5.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.