Providence, RI

The affordability dashboard for Providence, RI aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 8 ZIP codes covering 203,571 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (44/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $70,067, median home value of $384,696, median rent of $1,393 per month, and 35.0% 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 $1,729 per month (studio $1,318, 1BR $1,402, 3BR $2,087, 4BR $2,480). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $15,059 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. Pressure points are housing, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 8.1% and poverty 19.3% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.