Spencer, NY

The affordability dashboard for Spencer, NY aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 4,136 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (59/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $68,750, median home value of $207,700, median rent of $997 per month, and 31.9% 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 $1,103 per month (studio $783, 1BR $868, 3BR $1,412, 4BR $1,622). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $12,844 per year, consuming 19% 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 Spencer, NY include rent. Pressure points are childcare. Unemployment currently reads 5.7% and poverty 11.2% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.