Pahala, HI

The affordability dashboard for Pahala, HI aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 1,479 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (43/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $64,643, median home value of $233,200, median rent of — per month, and 26.5% 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 $2,076 per month (studio $1,592, 1BR $1,603, 3BR $2,622, 4BR $3,024). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $10,500 per year, consuming 16% 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. Pressure points are rent. Unemployment currently reads 12.7% and poverty 11.2% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.