Valdosta, GA

The affordability dashboard for Valdosta, GA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 5 ZIP codes covering 93,704 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 $54,110, median home value of $191,891, median rent of $1,067 per month, and 26.0% 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 $1,192 per month (studio $915, 1BR $921, 3BR $1,583, 4BR $1,915). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $7,436 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 Valdosta, GA include commute. Unemployment currently reads 5.2% and poverty 22.3% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.