Red Wing, MN

The affordability dashboard for Red Wing, MN aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 18,564 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (61/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $73,584, median home value of $250,500, median rent of $973 per month, and 26.3% 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 $1,095 per month (studio $755, 1BR $901, 3BR $1,523, 4BR $1,837). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $12,844 per year, consuming 17% 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 Red Wing, MN include commute, rent. Unemployment currently reads 4.5% and poverty 12.2% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.