Boroughs in Alaska where people spend most of their paycheck on housing

·Stacker

Arina P Habich // Shutterstock
Arina P Habich // Shutterstock

It's no secret that many Americans are forgoing homeownership in favor of renting. In 2020, renters in the U.S. occupied 43 million housing units.

The Stacker team looked at data from a United States Census survey that revealed an estimated 43,378,800 renter-occupied homes in the United States as of 2017, which makes up 36.1% of all households in the country. In 2019, renting was more affordable than buying a median-priced home in 59% of the counties; in 2021, the opposite was true: Owning was more affordable than renting in 63% of U.S. counties.

Stacker compiled a list of boroughs in Alaska where people spend the highest percent of income on rent using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Of course, saving money by owning a home is unattainable for many Americans who don't have savings that could cover a down payment, those who are denied a mortgage, or both. Keep reading to see where in your home state most of people's take-home pay goes to their monthly rent.

You may also like: Highest-rated specialty museums in Alaska, according to Tripadvisor

You may also like: Best NFL players born in Alaska

1 / 29

#29. Hoonah-Angoon Census Area

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 9.7%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 61.2%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 16.4%
- Total occupied households: 791
- Median household income: $59,803
- Median monthly housing cost: $482

2 / 29

#28. Denali Borough

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 9.8%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 70.0%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 11.4%
- Total occupied households: 613
- Median household income: $81,719
- Median monthly housing cost: $668

3 / 29

#27. Yakutat City and Borough

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 11.3%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 68.0%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 11.9%
- Total occupied households: 219
- Median household income: $71,607
- Median monthly housing cost: $675

4 / 29

#26. North Slope Borough

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 11.8%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 64.6%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 15.2%
- Total occupied households: 1,979
- Median household income: $79,306
- Median monthly housing cost: $782

5 / 29

#25. Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 11.8%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 63.5%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 18.1%
- Total occupied households: 2,371
- Median household income: $52,379
- Median monthly housing cost: $517

You may also like: Boroughs with the most college graduates in Alaska

You may also like: Higher education, higher earnings? Here's how advanced degrees pay off in Alaska.

6 / 29

#24. Southeast Fairbanks Census Area

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 11.9%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 64.5%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 10.6%
- Total occupied households: 2,170
- Median household income: $70,056
- Median monthly housing cost: $692

7 / 29

#23. Aleutians East Borough

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 13.0%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 57.8%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 17.4%
- Total occupied households: 890
- Median household income: $69,250
- Median monthly housing cost: $751

8 / 29

#22. Valdez-Cordova Census Area

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 13.2%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 62.3%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 16.7%
- Total occupied households: 3,177
- Median household income: $79,867
- Median monthly housing cost: $880

9 / 29

#21. Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 13.3%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 57.0%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 17.2%
- Total occupied households: 1,856
- Median household income: $41,413
- Median monthly housing cost: $459

11 / 29

#19. Bethel Census Area

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 14.9%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 54.3%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 20.4%
- Total occupied households: 4,489
- Median household income: $53,553
- Median monthly housing cost: $664

12 / 29

#18. Kusilvak Census Area

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 15.1%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 55.2%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 14.5%
- Total occupied households: 1,724
- Median household income: $36,754
- Median monthly housing cost: $461

13 / 29

#17. Dillingham Census Area

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 15.2%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 52.1%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 20.5%
- Total occupied households: 1,427
- Median household income: $56,898
- Median monthly housing cost: $723

14 / 29

#16. Bristol Bay Borough

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 15.3%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 58.6%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 12.7%
- Total occupied households: 314
- Median household income: $79,808
- Median monthly housing cost: $1,017

16 / 29

#14. Wrangell City and Borough

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 15.8%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 54.3%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 20.3%
- Total occupied households: 1,027
- Median household income: $53,894
- Median monthly housing cost: $708

17 / 29

#13. Nome Census Area

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 16.4%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 49.7%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 25.3%
- Total occupied households: 2,844
- Median household income: $61,048
- Median monthly housing cost: $835

18 / 29

#12. Northwest Arctic Borough

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 16.6%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 48.4%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 20.9%
- Total occupied households: 1,795
- Median household income: $60,906
- Median monthly housing cost: $841

19 / 29

#11. Skagway Municipality

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 16.7%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 53.9%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 17.3%
- Total occupied households: 375
- Median household income: $73,906
- Median monthly housing cost: $1,026

21 / 29

#9. Kenai Peninsula Borough

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 17.7%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 51.8%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 25.8%
- Total occupied households: 21,630
- Median household income: $66,064
- Median monthly housing cost: $977

22 / 29

#8. Sitka City and Borough

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 18.6%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 43.4%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 30.3%
- Total occupied households: 3,547
- Median household income: $73,682
- Median monthly housing cost: $1,141

23 / 29

#7. Juneau City and Borough

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 20.4%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 45.7%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 28.3%
- Total occupied households: 12,676
- Median household income: $88,390
- Median monthly housing cost: $1,500

24 / 29

#6. Haines Borough

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 20.5%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 47.0%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 23.9%
- Total occupied households: 1,007
- Median household income: $58,059
- Median monthly housing cost: $991

25 / 29

#5. Ketchikan Gateway Borough

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 21.1%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 42.7%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 32.4%
- Total occupied households: 5,397
- Median household income: $72,728
- Median monthly housing cost: $1,276

You may also like: Breweries with the most highly ranked beers in Alaska

26 / 29

#4. Kodiak Island Borough

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 21.1%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 35.0%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 26.4%
- Total occupied households: 4,261
- Median household income: $85,839
- Median monthly housing cost: $1,509

27 / 29

#3. Matanuska-Susitna Borough

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 21.4%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 44.8%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 29.5%
- Total occupied households: 31,217
- Median household income: $75,493
- Median monthly housing cost: $1,346

28 / 29

#2. Anchorage Municipality

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 21.4%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 42.3%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 31.3%
- Total occupied households: 106,567
- Median household income: $84,928
- Median monthly housing cost: $1,517

29 / 29

#1. Fairbanks North Star Borough

- Median percent of income spent on housing: 22.0%
--- Percent of households spending <20% of income on housing: 44.1%
--- Percent of households spending >30% of income on housing: 31.5%
- Total occupied households: 36,188
- Median household income: $76,992
- Median monthly housing cost: $1,409