County housing intelligence
Alaska Housing Market by County
Alaska is not one housing market. Across 30 counties, the median county home value is $287,400 and the median county rent is $1,290/mo. The useful question is not whether Alaska is cheap. It is which county fits your income, tax tolerance, and buy-versus-rent plan.
County median home value
$287,400
Median of county medians, less distorted by the largest metros.
County median rent
$1,290/mo
Gross rent includes rent plus utilities where Census reports it.
Counties compared
30
Every county with available ACS housing data in this state.
Fast answers
Start with the housing question.
Where can I afford to buy?
Kusilvak Census Area
1.6x home-value-to-income
Where is rent reasonable?
Bristol Bay Borough
11.8% rent burden
Where are ownership costs lighter?
Bethel Census Area
$879/mo cheaper to own than rent
Where are taxes least likely to surprise?
Copper River Census Area
0.07% effective tax rate
Market brief
The state-level housing signal
These benchmarks use the median county in the state, not one metro-weighted average. That makes the brief better for county comparison and rural-to-urban screening.
Purchase price
State county median vs national benchmark
Rent
State county median vs national benchmark
Owner cost
State county median vs national benchmark
Income base
State county median vs national benchmark
Tax rate
State county median vs national benchmark
The Alaska Pattern
These are the signals a statewide average hides. Start here before choosing counties to compare.
Price geography
Sitka City and Borough, Juneau City and Borough, Skagway Municipality sit at the top of the purchase market, while Kusilvak Census Area, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Aleutians East Borough anchor the lower-cost end.
Rent reality
Aleutians West Census Area, Kodiak Island Borough, Ketchikan Gateway Borough lead on rent, while Denali Borough, Kusilvak Census Area, Lake and Peninsula Borough show where monthly lease costs are lowest.
Decision lens
Kusilvak Census Area, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Dillingham Census Area screen best for purchase affordability when home values are measured against local household income.
Best Counties by Housing Goal
Different households need different rankings. Price alone is not enough, so these groups compare rent, income, owner costs, and tax exposure.
Cheapest to buy
Lowest median home values. Useful for purchase-price screening.
- 1. Kusilvak Census Area
$84,300
- 2. Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area
$98,500
- 3. Aleutians East Borough
$135,500
- 4. Dillingham Census Area
$159,000
- 5. Bethel Census Area
$168,100
Best buy affordability
Lowest home-value-to-income ratios. Better than price alone.
- 1. Kusilvak Census Area
1.6x home-value-to-income
- 2. Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area
1.8x home-value-to-income
- 3. Dillingham Census Area
2.0x home-value-to-income
- 4. Aleutians East Borough
2.1x home-value-to-income
- 5. Bethel Census Area
2.3x home-value-to-income
Cheapest to rent
Lowest median gross rent among counties with ACS rent data.
- 1. Denali Borough
$825/mo
- 2. Kusilvak Census Area
$833/mo
- 4. Petersburg Borough
$950/mo
Lowest rent burden
Where typical renters spend the smallest share of income on rent.
- 1. Bristol Bay Borough
11.8% rent burden
- 2. Yakutat City and Borough
14.3% rent burden
- 3. Kusilvak Census Area
16.4% rent burden
- 4. Denali Borough
17.6% rent burden
- 5. Bethel Census Area
18.0% rent burden
Lowest tax-rate signal
Lowest effective property-tax rates in the state data.
- 1. Copper River Census Area
0.07% effective tax rate
- 2. Northwest Arctic Borough
0.10% effective tax rate
- 3. Bethel Census Area
0.12% effective tax rate
- 4. Aleutians East Borough
0.15% effective tax rate
- 5. Kusilvak Census Area
0.24% effective tax rate
Owner-cost advantage
Counties where median owner costs are furthest below median rent.
- 1. Bethel Census Area
$879/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 2. Yakutat City and Borough
$662/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 3. Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
$655/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 4. Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area
$651/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 5. Northwest Arctic Borough
$609/mo cheaper to own than rent
Income-backed value
Higher-income counties that still hold a reasonable value-to-income profile.
- 1. Aleutians West Census Area
$135,500 income, 3.2x value-to-income
- 2. North Slope Borough
$95,694 income, 2.3x value-to-income
- 3. Dillingham Census Area
$78,533 income, 2.0x value-to-income
- 4. Bristol Bay Borough
$95,625 income, 2.6x value-to-income
- 5. Northwest Arctic Borough
$84,018 income, 2.4x value-to-income
Tradeoffs to Check
The best page is not the one that crowns a winner. It is the one that shows where a county can surprise you after the headline price looks attractive.
| Signal | County | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Cheap price, weaker income base | Kusilvak Census Area $84,300 home value, $51,471 income | Low purchase prices can still feel tight when local wages are also low. |
| Affordable homes, higher tax rate | Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area $98,500 home value, 1.13% tax rate | A low home price can be offset by the annual property-tax bill. |
| Renter pressure | Haines Borough $1,087/mo rent, 31.60% rent burden | Monthly rent alone does not show whether renters can comfortably absorb the cost. |
| Expensive, but income-supported | Sitka City and Borough $450,300 home value, $101,727 income | Some high-price counties also have stronger incomes, so affordability depends on both sides of the equation. |
Lowest home values
Best value-to-income
Lowest rents
Compare Every Alaska County
Sorted by home-value-to-income ratio so the first rows are not just cheap counties, but counties where purchase prices look smaller relative to local income.
| County | Home Value | Rent | Income | Value/Income | Tax Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kusilvak Census Area | $84,300 | $833/mo | $51,471 | 1.6x | 0.24% |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | $98,500 | $1,084/mo | $55,741 | 1.8x | 1.13% |
| Dillingham Census Area | $159,000 | $1,105/mo | $78,533 | 2.0x | 1.72% |
| Aleutians East Borough | $135,500 | $979/mo | $65,365 | 2.1x | 0.15% |
| Bethel Census Area | $168,100 | $1,474/mo | $73,996 | 2.3x | 0.12% |
| North Slope Borough | $218,300 | $1,254/mo | $95,694 | 2.3x | 1.06% |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | $199,100 | $1,350/mo | $84,018 | 2.4x | 0.10% |
| Bristol Bay Borough | $245,800 | $1,317/mo | $95,625 | 2.6x | 0.83% |
| Yakutat City and Borough | $219,400 | $1,330/mo | $85,000 | 2.6x | 0.67% |
| Nome Census Area | $211,200 | $1,394/mo | $78,681 | 2.7x | 1.55% |
| Aleutians West Census Area | $434,700 | $1,982/mo | $135,500 | 3.2x | 0.71% |
| Denali Borough | $275,000 | $825/mo | $80,781 | 3.4x | N/A |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | $298,200 | $1,459/mo | $88,267 | 3.4x | 1.19% |
| Haines Borough | $293,300 | $1,087/mo | $86,927 | 3.4x | 0.83% |
| Lake and Peninsula Borough | $237,500 | $936/mo | $65,625 | 3.6x | N/A |
| Copper River Census Area | $292,800 | $1,089/mo | $79,250 | 3.7x | 0.07% |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | $346,600 | $1,299/mo | $94,031 | 3.7x | 1.06% |
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | $225,300 | $964/mo | $61,156 | 3.7x | 0.51% |
| Anchorage Municipality | $395,900 | $1,489/mo | $103,284 | 3.8x | 1.26% |
| Chugach Census Area | $346,200 | $1,369/mo | $90,509 | 3.8x | 0.98% |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | $282,000 | $1,351/mo | $73,882 | 3.8x | 1.19% |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough | $323,200 | $1,184/mo | $80,538 | 4.0x | 0.63% |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | $393,300 | $1,505/mo | $92,885 | 4.2x | 0.67% |
| Petersburg Borough | $315,100 | $950/mo | $75,125 | 4.2x | 0.60% |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | $262,800 | $1,014/mo | $61,406 | 4.3x | 0.43% |
| Juneau City and Borough | $449,300 | $1,444/mo | $101,661 | 4.4x | 0.95% |
| Sitka City and Borough | $450,300 | $1,341/mo | $101,727 | 4.4x | 0.46% |
| Wrangell City and Borough | $296,400 | $993/mo | $63,750 | 4.6x | 0.56% |
| Kodiak Island Borough | $412,300 | $1,765/mo | $86,250 | 4.8x | 0.87% |
| Skagway Municipality | $435,400 | $1,280/mo | $81,136 | 5.4x | 0.38% |
Questions This Page Answers
Each answer is generated from the current county dataset, so it changes when the underlying ACS data changes.
What is the typical home value in Alaska by county?
What is the typical rent in Alaska by county?
Which Alaska counties are most affordable to buy in?
Why do cheap counties still need a closer look?
Data: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023) — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.