Vado, NM

The affordability dashboard for Vado, NM aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 2,501 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (56/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $53,750, median home value of $99,600, median rent of $764 per month, and 9.8% 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 $1,042 per month (studio $744, 1BR $951, 3BR $1,449, 4BR $1,580).

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 Vado, NM include housing. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 7.8% and poverty 21.5% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.