Pownal, VT

The affordability dashboard for Pownal, VT aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 2,738 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (47/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $62,917, median home value of $260,000, median rent of $932 per month, and 21.4% 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 $1,297 per month (studio $1,020, 1BR $1,142, 3BR $1,804, 4BR $2,159).

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 education, housing. Unemployment currently reads 5.9% and poverty 7.9% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.