Sylva, NC

The affordability dashboard for Sylva, NC aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 16,111 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (52/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $57,727, median home value of $243,700, median rent of $827 per month, and 27.9% 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 $964 per month (studio $840, 1BR $879, 3BR $1,272, 4BR $1,276). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $9,404 per year, consuming 16% 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 Sylva, NC include rent. Pressure points are housing. Unemployment currently reads 2.6% and poverty 15.2% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.