CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

61.66° N · 148.93° W · GEOID 0243260

Lazy Mountain

Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska · part of the Anchorage, AK metro

Limited data population under 5,000

AlaskaLazy Mountain, AKLazy MountainLazy Mountain

The short answer

Lazy Mountain is home to 1,459 people. Median household income is $101,667 a year and median rent is $980 a month, 11.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $352,800, about 3.5x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$980
28% below the median place
Median household income
$101,667
27% above the median place
Median home value
$352,800
10% above the median place
Unemployment
6.2%
27% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Lazy Mountain

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 9.1% a year while rent rose -1%, so pay gained on rent more than in 98% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 24 Alaska places.
  • 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 21 Alaska places.
  • The median rent takes only 11.6% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 96% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 24 Alaska places.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,288 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 92% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 24 Alaska places.
  • Only 36% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 85% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 93 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Lazy Mountain

Matanuska-Susitna Borough gains about 10.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in6,134
Moved out5,138
Net+996

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Alaska, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within AlaskaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$77K
Leavers$64K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Matanuska-Susitna Borough; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.2% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.8% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Matanuska-Susitna Borough report $76,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $63,600, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$39,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $980 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,268 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $352,800.
Getting to work
29 minutes each way on average; 11.4% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Slinger, WI matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
10.7
above the median place (median -0.6)
Moved from another state1
2.8%
42% above the median place
Income of households moving out7
$63,580
10% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLazy MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.2%7% above
Moved from another state1County figure2.8%42% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure10.7above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$76,6329% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$63,58010% below
02

What it costs to live here

Rent to income is 11.6%, 43% below the median place.

Lazy Mountain11.6%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$39,200
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
11.6%
43% below the median place
Home price to income
3.5x
9% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
12%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$86,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lazy Mountain, $980 a month, and local prices for everything else (104.5 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Lazy Mountain, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Mount Zion, IL8.6% vs 11.6%$13,300Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Lazy Mountain.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lazy Mountain? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
35.8%
29% below the median place
Homeownership1
82.7%
24% above the median place
Vacant homes1
11.3%
59% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureLazy MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$98028% below
Rent to income111.6%43% below
Property tax rate10.9%4% above
Home price to income13.5x9% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure105.44% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,29320% below
HUD area median income4County figure$119,30011% above
Property tax paid (median)1$3,3563% above
Median home value1$352,80010% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure5.3%66% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure50.1%3% below
Homeownership182.7%24% above
Renters paying 30%+135.8%29% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,26821% above
Vacant homes111.3%59% above
Median year built119911% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Unemployment1
6.2%
27% above the median place
Mean commute1
29 min
16% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Poverty rate7.4% −32%
Median household income$101,667 +27%
Income per person$44,567 +11%
Works from home11.4% −8%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLazy MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$101,66727% above
Income per person1$44,56711% above
Unemployment16.2%27% above
Average annual pay6County figure$61,2127% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.9%32% above
Jobs6County figure29,97880% below
Poverty rate17.4%32% below
Mean commute129 min16% above
Works from home111.4%8% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
Homes with broadband1
97.8%
6% above the median place
No health insurance1
13.7%
114% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher96.6% +5%
Median age41.6 +7%
Household size2.7 +7%
Bachelor's or higher33.7% +5%
All 8 people measures
MeasureLazy MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,4596646th largest
Median age141.67% above
Bachelor's or higher133.7%5% above
High school or higher196.6%5% above
Household size12.77% above
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance113.7%114% above
Homes with broadband197.8%6% above
05

Life in Lazy Mountain

29 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails20 km 9.8×
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars18.5 −11%
Shops24.4 −19%
Arts, recreation and fitness6.7 +63%
Doctors' offices and clinics24.8 +23%
Child care centers2.4 +4%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
6.7
63% above the median place
Shops per 10k8
24.4
19% below the median place
Students per teacher11
19.3
25% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureLazy MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure49above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure19,495298% above
Students per teacher11County figure19.325% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure18.511% below
Shops per 10k8County figure24.419% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure6.763% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure24.823% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.44% above
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails919.6above (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure29123% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Median air quality index is 9, 79% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Lazy Mountain. Larger places are fetched first.

Median air quality index14
9
79% below the median place
Average temperature12
29°F
46% below the median place
July average high12
60°F
31% below the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureLazy MountainAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure60°F31% below
January average low12County figure3°F87% below
Average temperature12County figure29°F46% below
Annual precipitation12County figure34.8 in21% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure93.31% above
Tornado risk13County figure0.999% below
Wildfire risk13County figure94.755% above
Median air quality index14County figure979% below
Good air days14County figure91.5%34% above
08

Lazy Mountain in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 11% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 12% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$980/mo (2024)$1,220/mo$1,000 to $1,490/mo+3.8%
Median household income$101,667 (2024)$132,000$111,500 to $156,500+4.5%
Median home value$352,800 (2024)$497,000$361,000 to $685,000+5.9%

The median home would be worth 3.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.5 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Lazy Mountain

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Slinger, WI$1,022$101,404Compare
Tuttle, OK$1,016$103,994Compare
North Ridgeville, OH$1,116$96,698Compare
Jackson, WI$1,151$93,170Compare
Jackson, WINorth Ridgeville, OHTuttle, OKSlinger, WILazy Mountain, AKLazy MountainSlingerTuttleNorth RidgevilleJacksonLazy MountainSlingerTuttleNorth RidgevilleJackson

Common questions

Is Lazy Mountain a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 9.1% a year while rent rose -1%, so pay gained on rent more than in 98% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 24 Alaska places. 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 21 Alaska places. On cost, space and class size it scores 94 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lazy Mountain expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 11.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $352,800.

What salary do you need to live in Lazy Mountain?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $39,200 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Lazy Mountain?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Slinger, WI, Tuttle, OK, North Ridgeville, OH and Jackson, WI.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Lazy Mountain with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Lazy Mountain itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/lazy-mountain-alaska

Citytistics. “Lazy Mountain, Alaska.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/lazy-mountain-alaska/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.