Housing decision brief
Lake and Peninsula Borough, AK Housing Market
Lake and Peninsula Borough screens as a below-state purchase price, below-state rent, a manageable tax-rate signal market. Use the page as a decision brief, not just a price lookup, because local income, taxes, and data confidence change how affordable the county really is.
7th lowest home value out of 30 Alaska counties with data | 5th lowest rent out of 30
Median home value
$166,100
Purchase-price signal from Census ACS.
Median rent
$933/mo
Gross rent, including utilities where reported.
Monthly owner cost
$533/mo
Owner costs before individual loan terms.
Decision snapshot
Read this county in four signals.
Buy screen
2.6x
Median home value divided by local household income.
Rent burden
18.0%
Below 30% usually screens as less pressured.
Rent vs own
$400/mo
Median owner cost screens below median rent.
Data confidence
1 note
Home-value estimate has a $41,564 ACS margin of error.
What Works
Lower purchase price
$166,100 median home value is 39% below Alaska county median
Lower rent
$933/mo is 25% below Alaska county median
Rent burden below pressure line
18.00% of renter income goes to rent, below the 30% burden threshold.
Owning screens cheaper than renting
Median owner costs are $400/mo below median rent before individual mortgage terms.
Low disaster-risk signal
Risk score is 93.8 out of 100, a stronger cross-check for long-term ownership costs.
What to Check
Lower income base
$64,000 median income is 18% below Alaska county median
Water quality cross-check
Water quality grade is F. Review water data before treating housing cost as the full story.
Health context
Health score is 16.6 out of 100, so affordability should be weighed against local health indicators.
Wide home-value margin
The ACS margin of error on home value is $41,564, so exact rankings should be read as directional.
Best Fit For
- Buyers comparing homes to local incomes
- Renters trying to keep rent below the burden threshold
- Households weighing ownership against renting
- Long-term owners who care about disaster-risk exposure
Poor Fit For
- Households dependent on a deep local wage market
- Buyers who will not investigate local water systems before moving
County vs State vs National
The county number only matters after you see the benchmark. These comparisons show where Lake and Peninsula Borough is genuinely cheap, where it is average, and where the hidden cost may be.
| Metric | County | State | U.S. | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Median home value Lower usually helps affordability. | $166,100 | $274,050 | $281,900 | 39% favorable39% below Alaska county median |
Median gross rent Lower usually helps affordability. | $933 | $1,243 | $1,163 | 25% favorable25% below Alaska county median |
Monthly owner cost Lower usually helps affordability. | $533 | $772 | $1,672 | 31% favorable31% below Alaska county median |
Median household income | $64,000 | $78,158 | $74,755 | 18% pressure18% below Alaska county median |
Effective property-tax rate Lower usually helps affordability. | N/A | 1.00% | 1.02% | Needs dataNo Alaska county median comparison available |
Rent burden Lower usually helps affordability. | 18.00% | 23.00% | N/A | 22% favorable18.00% of renter income goes to rent. |
Income Fit
A low price only helps if local income can carry the monthly cost. This panel compares the county income base with rent and owner-cost thresholds.
Rent cushion
+$26,680
Median income minus rent threshold.
Owner cushion
+$41,157
Median income minus owner-cost threshold.
Affordability Advisory
This turns the raw housing numbers into income and buy-versus-rent screens.
Affordability verdict
Housing in Lake and Peninsula Borough is affordable. The median rent is $933/month against a median household income of $64,000, putting rent at 17.5% of income.
Rent vs own
At $933/month rent versus $533/month in owner costs, owning is roughly $400/month cheaper , a 43% difference.
Income needed
To afford the median rent without exceeding 30% of gross income, a household needs to earn approximately $37,320/year. For owner costs at the 28% rule, the required income is roughly $22,843/year. With a median household income of $64,000, most households can comfortably afford rent here. Notably, 18.0% of renter households in Lake and Peninsula Borough are cost-burdened, spending more than 30% of income on housing.
Regional context
Within Alaska, Lake and Peninsula Borough is less affordable than Hoonah-Angoon Census Area by roughly 5% ($933/mo vs $986/mo).
Better Counties to Compare
Similar counties are matched on home value, rent, income, and state context. This is more useful than a simple nearest-price list.
| County | Home Value | Rent | Why compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dillingham Census Area, AK | $163,800 | $1,085/mo | Same-state comparison near $163,800 home value and $1,085/mo rent. |
| Aleutians East Borough, AK | $144,300 | $1,040/mo | Same-state comparison near $144,300 home value and $1,040/mo rent. |
| DeWitt County, TX | $167,200 | $955/mo | Out-of-state peer near $167,200 home value and $955/mo rent. |
| Hill County, TX | $163,100 | $929/mo | Out-of-state peer near $163,100 home value and $929/mo rent. |
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, AK | $221,800 | $915/mo | Same-state comparison near $221,800 home value and $915/mo rent. |
Data Confidence
- Home-value estimate has a $41,564 ACS margin of error.
Next Checks
Housing Questions for Lake and Peninsula Borough
Is Lake and Peninsula Borough affordable for buying a home?
Is renting or owning cheaper in Lake and Peninsula Borough?
How much income do you need for housing in Lake and Peninsula Borough?
What should I double-check before moving to Lake and Peninsula Borough?
Data: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023) — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.