Rice, VA

The affordability dashboard for Rice, VA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 2,337 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (53/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $57,177, median home value of $192,700, median rent of $1,019 per month, and 21.8% 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 $1,094 per month (studio $916, 1BR $922, 3BR $1,312, 4BR $1,448). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,734 per year, consuming 14% 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 education. Unemployment currently reads 0.6% and poverty 18.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.