Spokane, WA

The affordability dashboard for Spokane, WA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 14 ZIP codes covering 342,856 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (53/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $77,737, median home value of $390,732, median rent of $1,277 per month, and 33.3% 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 $1,531 per month (studio $1,103, 1BR $1,193, 3BR $2,088, 4BR $2,506). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $14,992 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. Pressure points are housing, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 5.3% and poverty 12.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.