Swannanoa, NC

The affordability dashboard for Swannanoa, NC aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 10,381 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 $73,408, median home value of $303,300, median rent of $994 per month, and 31.5% 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 $1,567 per month (studio $1,227, 1BR $1,429, 3BR $1,905, 4BR $2,629). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $9,920 per year, consuming 14% 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 Swannanoa, NC include commute. Pressure points are housing. Unemployment currently reads 7.2% and poverty 15.0% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.