Palisade, MN

The affordability dashboard for Palisade, MN aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 998 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (56/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $66,042, median home value of $223,100, median rent of $850 per month, and 15.1% 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 $973 per month (studio $737, 1BR $742, 3BR $1,353, 4BR $1,471). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $9,100 per year, consuming 14% 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 Palisade, MN include rent. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 6.3% and poverty 10.5% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.