FOS State Ranking Dashboard

Strategic Ministry Opportunity Analysis (Vision 2030)

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Most Affordable City

City Rankings by FOS Score

RANK	CITY	FOS SCORE

Affordability vs. Growth ("Sweet Spot")

Use the selector to view either the classic "Sweet Spot" (Growth vs Affordability) or the Need vs Affordability view.

Top 10 FOS Leaderboard

Disclaimer: The Faith Opportunity Score (FOS) and all related rankings, charts, and analytics presented on this website are provided strictly for informational and research purposes. The FOS model relies on public data, estimates, imputation methods, and assumptions that may change over time and may not accurately reflect real-world conditions. It does not constitute financial, legal, real estate, or ministry advice. Users are strongly encouraged to perform independent verification and due diligence before making any strategic, organizational, or investment decisions based on this site.

FOS Scope & Methodology

The Faith Opportunity Score (FOS) is a 0–10 index designed to compare ministry opportunity across U.S. cities using consistent demographic and economic indicators.

Six Core Inputs & Weights

Population Growth (30%) – Captures openness and movement.
Young Adults 20–44 (20%) – Most responsive demographic.
Underserved Indicator (20%) – Based on churches per 10k residents:
- 0–4 → High Need (Score 10)
- 5–8 → Medium Need (Score 6)
- 9+ → Low Need (Score 2)
Affordability Index (15%) – Lower home values yield higher affordability scores.
Median Income Stability (10%) – Reflects community sustainability.
University / Military Influence (5%) – Presence of major institutions increases relational openness.

How the FOS Is Scored

All six factors are normalized on a 0–10 scale using state-level ranges. The final FOS is a weighted combination of these normalized values.

Exact formulas remain proprietary to preserve system integrity.

Data Imputation (When City Data Is Missing)

Growth % – Estimated from county or MSA growth rates.
Age 20–44 % – Borrowed from regional county/MSA ratios.
Median Home Value – Estimated using county MV and calibrated ratios.
Underserved Indicator – Approximated from county-level church density.

These assumptions allow consistent scaling to hundreds of cities.

Purpose of the FOS

The FOS clarifies why certain cities rise to the top based on the data. It is not a recommendation engine—it supports leadership discernment by providing a neutral, repeatable analytical framework.

Disclaimer. The Faith Opportunity Score (FOS) and all related charts and rankings are provided for informational and research purposes only. They are based on public data, estimates, and modeling assumptions that may change over time and may contain inaccuracies or omissions. The FOS does not constitute financial, legal, real estate, or ministry advice and should not be relied on as the sole basis for site selection, investment decisions, or strategic planning. Users should perform their own independent verification, due diligence, and consult appropriate professional and pastoral counsel before acting on any insights from this tool.