Salem, NY

The affordability dashboard for Salem, NY aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 3,663 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (58/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $71,983, median home value of $192,900, median rent of $955 per month, and 27.5% 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 $1,348 per month (studio $1,041, 1BR $1,066, 3BR $1,742, 4BR $1,785). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $12,844 per year, consuming 18% 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 Salem, NY include housing. Pressure points are commute. Unemployment currently reads 9.9% and poverty 17.2% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.