Orange, CA

The affordability dashboard for Orange, CA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 5 ZIP codes covering 141,692 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (51/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $120,937, median home value of $934,717, median rent of $2,327 per month, and 39.5% 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 $3,236 per month (studio $2,682, 1BR $2,746, 3BR $4,393, 4BR $5,246). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $20,473 per year, consuming 17% 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 Orange, CA include income. Pressure points are housing. Unemployment currently reads 4.8% and poverty 9.4% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.