Haines, AK

The affordability dashboard for Haines, AK aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 2,602 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B- (67/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $85,208, median home value of $290,000, median rent of $1,056 per month, and 33.2% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. These four metrics alone explain most of the variance between city dashboards.

Cross-agency feeds widen the picture beyond Census demographics. HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in this county at $1,321 per month (studio $945, 1BR $1,033, 3BR $1,771, 4BR $2,088).

Reading the overall grade requires reading all seven dimensions together. The score weights Income 20%, Safety 20%, Housing 15%, Rent 15%, Education 10%, Commute 10%, and Childcare 10%, with each sub-score benchmarked against national percentiles rather than state averages — so the grade is genuinely comparable across any city in the country. Strengths visible in the raw data for Haines, AK include rent. Unemployment currently reads 5.1% and poverty 6.2% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.