Ninilchik, AK

The affordability dashboard for Ninilchik, AK aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 1,131 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of F (34/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $47,333, median home value of $250,800, median rent of $1,007 per month, and 25.3% 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 $1,312 per month (studio $993, 1BR $1,000, 3BR $1,825, 4BR $2,201). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,052 per year, consuming 17% of the local median household income.

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. Pressure points are income, housing. Unemployment currently reads 5.5% and poverty 19.7% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.