Waco, KY

The affordability dashboard for Waco, KY aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 3,131 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C (58/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $63,103, median home value of $194,700, median rent of $680 per month, and 21.4% 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 $904 per month (studio $666, 1BR $785, 3BR $1,257, 4BR $1,416). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $9,433 per year, consuming 15% 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 Waco, KY include rent. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 1.3% and poverty 7.4% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.