Our proprietary indices
Every index below is calculated in-house by cross-referencing public federal datasets. The underlying figures come from government agencies; the combinations, weights and scores are ours, refreshed automatically as each agency publishes new data.
Mortgage Affordability Stress Index
How far the income needed to buy a typical home in each state sits above what households actually earn, at today's 30-year fixed rate.
Built from: Census ACS · Freddie Mac via FRED
Rent Affordability Index
Median household income against annualised median gross rent in every ZIP code, expressed as a national percentile rank.
Built from: Census ACS (ZCTA)
Financial Stress Score
One 0–100 measure of household pressure for every county: unemployment, income, rent burden and credit-card delinquency.
Built from: Census ACS · Federal Reserve G.19
Real Salary Index
What a given occupation's wage is actually worth in each state once state income tax and local costs are taken out.
Built from: BLS OEWS · Census ACS · state tax code
Retirement Readiness Index
How prepared each state is for retirement: Social Security replacement rate, the income of households already aged 65+, housing costs and home equity.
Built from: SSA · Census ACS
Student Debt Burden Index
Student debt measured against real starting salaries and adjusted for the local cost of living and job market — by school and by state.
Built from: College Scorecard · Census ACS
Real Affordability Score
What a median household has left after every essential — rent, groceries, energy, insurance and property tax — not just housing.
Built from: Census ACS · HUD · USDA · EIA · NAIC