Shorter, AL

The affordability dashboard for Shorter, AL aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 2,226 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (57/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $53,505, median home value of $115,700, median rent of — per month, and 12.5% 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 $995 per month (studio $720, 1BR $758, 3BR $1,222, 4BR $1,501). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,018 per year, consuming 13% 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 Shorter, AL include housing. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 2.3% and poverty 10.4% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.