Somersworth, NH

The affordability dashboard for Somersworth, NH aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 11,824 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 $75,136, median home value of $317,900, median rent of $1,479 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 $2,194 per month (studio $1,601, 1BR $1,677, 3BR $2,693, 4BR $2,941). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $15,098 per year, consuming 20% 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 housing, rent, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 2.8% and poverty 11.2% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.