Rio Hondo, TX

The affordability dashboard for Rio Hondo, TX aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 6,623 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (50/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $51,453, median home value of $161,900, median rent of $698 per month, and 15.7% 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 $1,047 per month (studio $773, 1BR $866, 3BR $1,414, 4BR $1,479). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,008 per year, consuming 16% 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. Unemployment currently reads 1.3% and poverty 17.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.