Pilot, VA

The affordability dashboard for Pilot, VA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 1,613 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (51/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $62,400, median home value of $235,700, median rent of $888 per month, and 27.4% 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 $1,271 per month (studio $910, 1BR $993, 3BR $1,706, 4BR $2,132). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $9,653 per year, consuming 15% 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. Unemployment currently reads 6.2% and poverty 12.9% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.