Palmetto, LA

The affordability dashboard for Palmetto, LA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 1,111 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (45/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $44,243, median home value of -, median rent of $854 per month, and 19.5% 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 $834 per month (studio $631, 1BR $636, 3BR $1,040, 4BR $1,202). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $6,863 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 income, education. Unemployment currently reads 5.3% and poverty 2.9% - numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.