Shepherd, MT

The affordability dashboard for Shepherd, MT aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 3,481 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (45/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $68,047, median home value of $376,300, median rent of $1,744 per month, and 23.6% 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 $1,417 per month (studio $1,016, 1BR $1,109, 3BR $1,951, 4BR $2,216). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $11,788 per year, consuming 17% 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. Pressure points are education, housing. Unemployment currently reads 6.2% and poverty 6.9% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.