Kivalina, AK

The affordability dashboard for Kivalina, AK aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 374 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C- (52/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $72,589, median home value of $175,000, median rent of $1,089 per month, and 1.1% 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 $1,930 per month (studio $1,331, 1BR $1,471, 3BR $2,547, 4BR $2,676).

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 Kivalina, AK include housing. Pressure points are education. Unemployment currently reads 25.4% and poverty 22.2% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.