Orion, IL

The affordability dashboard for Orion, IL aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 3,316 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B+ (76/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $99,032, median home value of $187,400, median rent of $840 per month, and 31.1% 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 $1,143 per month (studio $817, 1BR $928, 3BR $1,498, 4BR $1,819). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $11,796 per year, consuming 12% 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 Orion, IL include income, housing, rent. Unemployment currently reads 3.4% and poverty 5.8% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.