Plattsburgh, NY

The affordability dashboard for Plattsburgh, NY aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 2 ZIP codes covering 34,656 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (58/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $61,532, median home value of $190,137, median rent of $1,024 per month, and 33.9% 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 $1,246 per month (studio $973, 1BR $980, 3BR $1,494, 4BR $1,650). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $12,844 per year, consuming 21% 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 Plattsburgh, NY include commute. Pressure points are childcare. Unemployment currently reads 4.8% and poverty 17.8% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.