Paynesville, MN

The affordability dashboard for Paynesville, MN aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 5,844 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (62/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $86,212, median home value of $258,900, median rent of $829 per month, and 26.6% 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 $1,206 per month (studio $874, 1BR $919, 3BR $1,604, 4BR $1,873). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $22,395 per year, consuming 26% 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 Paynesville, MN include rent. Pressure points are childcare. Unemployment currently reads 1.7% and poverty 4.8% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.