Raphine, VA

The affordability dashboard for Raphine, VA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 2,271 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (41/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $51,429, median home value of $251,000, median rent of $873 per month, and 24.6% 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 $1,005 per month (studio $870, 1BR $917, 3BR $1,398, 4BR $1,686). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $9,817 per year, consuming 19% 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 income, education, housing, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 8.1% and poverty 11.8% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.