Pella, IA

The affordability dashboard for Pella, IA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 13,939 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B+ (75/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $86,807, median home value of $301,400, median rent of $1,026 per month, and 44.0% 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 $1,016 per month (studio $701, 1BR $808, 3BR $1,218, 4BR $1,356). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,434 per year, consuming 10% 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 Pella, IA include education, commute, rent, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 0.9% and poverty 5.0% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.