Reading, MI

The affordability dashboard for Reading, MI aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 3,670 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 $58,087, median home value of $171,100, median rent of $809 per month, and 21.1% 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 $1,002 per month (studio $691, 1BR $764, 3BR $1,252, 4BR $1,327). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $6,469 per year, consuming 11% 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 Reading, MI include rent. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 4.5% and poverty 20.1% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.