Housing plan Choose whether the budget is a purchase price or monthly rent.
Buy Rent
Studio 1 BR 2 BR 3 BR 4+ BR
Occupation or life stage Neutral by default; choose a path only if career or life stage should influence the formula.
No preference Remote / flexible Tech Healthcare Education Trades / manufacturing Government / defense Hospitality Retired
Median income range Neutral by default. Uses Census ACS place-level median household income where available.
No preference Under $60k $60k-$75k $75k-$90k $90k+
Job market Filter to cities with a stronger job market — low unemployment plus steady local hiring momentum.
No preference 💼 Strong job market
Getting around Filter to cities served by an Amtrak train station. Each result links to the station’s Google Maps profile on the city page.
No preference 🚆 Has Amtrak train station
Weather State-level NOAA climate normals. City microclimates still matter.
Any winter Warm winters Four seasons
Any summer Mild summers Hot is fine
Any snow Avoid snow Some snow Snowy
Any rain Drier Balanced rain Rainy / green
Natural-disaster tolerance FEMA-style state risk bands: hurricane, tornado, wildfire, earthquake, flood.
Low risk only Moderate ok No preference
Avoid hurricanes Avoid tornadoes Avoid wildfire Avoid flood Avoid quakes
City shape Optional region and size constraints.
Any size Small Mid-size Large
Any region Sun Belt Northeast Midwest Mountain West Pacific
Ranking priority Use this when you want the score to lean harder in one direction.
Balanced Affordability Momentum
Vibe and social fit Neutral by default. Uses ACS city demographics and occupation mix plus transparent local signals.
No preference Introvert Extrovert Nightlife Outdoors Career-heavy Relaxed Moderate feel Liberal feel Conservative feel Diversity Dating Social Intellectual Sports Arts/music Young pros Families Artists
Future trajectory Optional forward-looking filters from growth, rent, climate pressure, migration, and job proxies.
No preference Population growth Rent cooling Lower climate pressure Migration upswing Job momentum
Career depth Optional labor-market depth signals from ACS occupation mix, work-from-home share, and unemployment.
No preference Remote compatible Hiring momentum Tech strength Healthcare strength Trades strength
Daily-life friction Optional avoid-the-catch filters using ACS commute/transit plus practical-life proxies.
No preference Less traffic Easier parking Better airport Public transit After 9 PM Less smoke Less humidity Healthcare access
Neighborhood fit Optional neighborhood layer from Zillow neighborhood data; district safety and commute zones still need source tables.
No preference Quiet/families Young pros Artists Outdoors Renter/value Owner/premium
Glossary and formula notes Neutral / no preference Default state. That category does not filter or boost the score. Housing Hard filter by buy/rent, bedrooms, and budget ceiling using Zillow bedroom home values and ZORI-based rent estimates. Weather Winter, summer, snow, and rain filters use current state-level climate normals. Median income range Filters by 2024 ACS 5-year place-level median household income from table B19013. Rare unmatched places fall back to the state median. Vibe Blends ACS place-level demographics and occupation mix with city size, momentum, climate, hazards, and known anchor-city lists. Future trajectory Proxy score from population growth, housing momentum, rent acceleration, climate pressure, and migration/job-growth signals. Career depth Uses ACS occupation mix, work-from-home share, unemployment, and market momentum. Salary and employer concentration need BLS/job-posting data. Friction Uses ACS commute and public-transit data plus proxies for parking, airport, after-9 nightlife, smoke, humidity, and healthcare access. Neighborhood fit Uses Zillow neighborhood home values plus transparent name/price-tier tags. Safety by district, commute zones, POI density, and renter-owner maps need source data. Near-matches If exact filters return zero, the tool shows closest over-budget or partial matches instead of a dead end. This is a matching model, not advice. Home prices use Zillow bedroom-level city data when available; rent is ZORI-based and bedroom-adjusted where true bedroom rents are not available.