Scranton, PA

The affordability dashboard for Scranton, PA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 8 ZIP codes covering 100,355 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (54/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $54,204, median home value of $168,264, median rent of $1,021 per month, and 25.1% 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 $1,252 per month (studio $863, 1BR $1,028, 3BR $1,631, 4BR $1,766).

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 Scranton, PA include commute. Unemployment currently reads 5.3% and poverty 20.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.