Texarkana, TX

The affordability dashboard for Texarkana, TX aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 2 ZIP codes covering 60,677 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (60/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $56,507, median home value of $173,747, median rent of $1,056 per month, and 24.8% 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 $1,101 per month (studio $859, 1BR $868, 3BR $1,369, 4BR $1,657). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $6,292 per year, consuming 11% 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 Texarkana, TX include commute. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 4.2% and poverty 18.4% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.