Vernon, NY

The affordability dashboard for Vernon, NY aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 3,032 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (54/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $62,798, median home value of $204,000, median rent of $849 per month, and 22.0% 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 $1,172 per month (studio $899, 1BR $926, 3BR $1,405, 4BR $1,623). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $12,844 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 2.1% and poverty 9.3% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.