Valier, MT

The affordability dashboard for Valier, MT aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 1,328 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of D (46/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $56,875, median home value of $182,900, median rent of $782 per month, and 14.8% 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 $1,254 per month (studio $940, 1BR $1,144, 3BR $1,619, 4BR $1,892). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $11,319 per year, consuming 20% 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. Pressure points are education, childcare. Unemployment currently reads 2.3% and poverty 22.7% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.