Saginaw, MI

The affordability dashboard for Saginaw, MI aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 7 ZIP codes covering 135,669 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (59/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $54,013, median home value of $114,018, median rent of $954 per month, and 22.2% 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 $1,117 per month (studio $770, 1BR $851, 3BR $1,440, 4BR $1,479). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,863 per year, consuming 15% 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 Saginaw, MI include housing. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 7.5% and poverty 23.7% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.