Rochester, NH

The affordability dashboard for Rochester, NH aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 3 ZIP codes covering 29,816 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 $80,395, median home value of $280,719, median rent of $1,356 per month, and 27.2% 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 $2,194 per month (studio $1,601, 1BR $1,677, 3BR $2,693, 4BR $2,941). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $15,098 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 childcare. Unemployment currently reads 2.7% and poverty 8.4% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.