Saline, MI

The affordability dashboard for Saline, MI aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 21,447 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B (74/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $114,206, median home value of $408,300, median rent of $1,132 per month, and 60.2% 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 $1,656 per month (studio $1,365, 1BR $1,387, 3BR $1,986, 4BR $2,193). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $11,866 per year, consuming 10% 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 Saline, MI include income, education, rent. Unemployment currently reads 4.6% and poverty 5.1% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.