Spencer, IN

The affordability dashboard for Spencer, IN aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 11,471 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (61/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $68,447, median home value of $193,000, median rent of $853 per month, and 20.6% 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 $956 per month (studio $770, 1BR $798, 3BR $1,155, 4BR $1,509).

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 Spencer, IN include rent. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 3.3% and poverty 9.8% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.