Salem, VA

The affordability dashboard for Salem, VA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 37,761 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (61/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $74,260, median home value of $266,500, median rent of $1,124 per month, and 31.3% 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 $1,254 per month (studio $1,004, 1BR $1,053, 3BR $1,743, 4BR $2,104). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $12,125 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. Strengths visible in the raw data for Salem, VA include rent. Unemployment currently reads 4.0% and poverty 9.9% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.