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: 11.3% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 5.5% from another state.
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: $38,400 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy: Median rent is $961 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,151 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $236,200.
Getting to work: 37 minutes each way on average; 11.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite: Gun Barrel City, TX matches it on character. Compare the two

Moved from another state1
5.5%
178% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
11.3%
97% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
10.7
above the median place (median -0.6)

All 5 moving measures

Measure	Sutton-Alpine	Vs median
Moved here in the past year1	11.3%	97% above
Moved from another state1	5.5%	178% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure	10.7	above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure	$76,632	9% above
Income of households moving out7County figure	$63,580	10% below

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 21.6%, 205% above the median place.

Sutton-Alpine15.4%

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

$38,440

a year, at the 30% line

Rent to income

15.4%

25% below the median place

Home price to income

3.1x

17% below the median place

Could you afford it?

Your household income, before tax

The median rent would take

15%

comfortably under the 30% line

Left after rent, in US prices

$60,700

a year

Vs the typical household here

Same

as the median household

Uses the median rent in Sutton-Alpine, $961 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 Sutton-Alpine, but easier on the budget

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

Place	Rent to income	More left a year
Twin Lakes, WI	12.1% vs 15.4%	$13,300	Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Sutton-Alpine.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Sutton-Alpine? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.

Vacant homes1
21.6%
205% above the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
70.2%
39% above the median place
Homeownership1
88.6%
33% above the median place

All 16 cost and housing measures

Measure	Sutton-Alpine	Vs median
Median gross rent1	$961	30% below
Rent to income1	15.4%	25% below
Property tax rate1	1.4%	53% above
Home price to income1	3.1x	17% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure	105.4	4% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure	$1,293	20% below
HUD area median income4County figure	$119,300	11% above
Property tax paid (median)1	$3,278	0% above
Median home value1	$236,200	26% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure	5.3%	66% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure	50.1%	3% below
Homeownership1	88.6%	33% above
Renters paying 30%+1	70.2%	39% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1	$2,151	15% above
Vacant homes1	21.6%	205% above
Median year built1	1989	1% above

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%)
Mean commute1
37 min
49% above the median place
Income per person1
$36,352
9% below the median place

All 10 work and pay measures

Measure	Sutton-Alpine	Vs median
Median household income1	$75,119	6% below
Income per person1	$36,352	9% below
Unemployment1County figure	5.8%	18% above
Average annual pay6County figure	$61,212	7% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure	4.9%	32% above
Jobs6County figure	29,978	80% below
Poverty rate1County figure	10.0%	7% below
Mean commute1	37 min	49% above
Works from home1County figure	11.7%	6% below
Commutes by transit1	0.0%	below (median 0.8%)

Who lives here

Median age is 50.0, 28% above the median place.

Median age1
50.0
28% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
14.4%
55% below the median place
No health insurance1
10.8%
69% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.8 +11%

Homes with broadband89.1% −3%

High school or higher92.4% +0%

All 8 people measures

Measure	Sutton-Alpine	Vs median
Population1	1,598	6646th largest
Median age1	50.0	28% above
Bachelor's or higher1	14.4%	55% below
High school or higher1	92.4%	0% above
Household size1	2.8	11% above
Born abroad1County figure	2.9%	67% below
No health insurance1	10.8%	69% above
Homes with broadband1	89.1%	3% below

Life in Sutton-Alpine

29 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents25.0 2.5×

Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%

Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%

Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k6.3 −44%

Libraries per 10k12.5 14.4×

Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%

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

Measure	Sutton-Alpine	Vs median
Public schools11County figure	49	above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure	19,495	298% above
Students per teacher11County figure	19.3	25% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure	18.5	11% below
Shops per 10k8County figure	24.4	19% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure	6.7	63% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure	24.8	23% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure	2.4	4% above
Parks per 10k9	25.0	146% above
Playgrounds per 10k9	0.0	below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k9	0.0	below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k9	6.3	44% below
Libraries per 10k9	12.5	above (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails9	0.0	below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi9	0.0	below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure	29	123% above

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 Sutton-Alpine. 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

Measure	Sutton-Alpine	Vs median
July average high12County figure	60°F	31% below
January average low12County figure	3°F	87% below
Average temperature12County figure	29°F	46% below
Annual precipitation12County figure	34.8 in	21% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure	93.3	1% above
Tornado risk13County figure	0.9	99% below
Wildfire risk13County figure	94.7	55% above
Median air quality index14County figure	9	79% below
Good air days14County figure	91.5%	34% above

How it is changing

Five-year survey estimates, one point per release.

Median gross rent

Down 11.5% from 2019 to 2024.

Median household income

Up 52.1% from 2019 to 2024.

Median home value

Up 43.6% from 2019 to 2024.

Citytistics measures

Paycheck stretch

$60,800

left a year after rent, in US prices. Better than 37% of places

Pay vs rent

+11.2 pts

a year, pay outrunning rent. Better than 99% of places

Family fit

n/a

Not enough local figures

Growth

n/a

Population figure is the county's

Measures only Citytistics publishes, built from the figures on this page. Scores of 100 beat every place we track. Formulas

Sutton-Alpine in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 15% of the median income in 2030, down from 15% 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.

Measure	Latest	2030 projection	Likely range	Avg. per year
Median rent	$961/mo (2024)	$1,200/mo	$980 to $1,460/mo	+3.7%
Median household income	$75,119 (2024)	$97,000	$82,000 to $115,000	+4.4%
Median home value	$236,200 (2024)	$331,000	$241,000 to $456,000	+5.8%

The median home would be worth 3.4 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.1 now.

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

Places like Sutton-Alpine

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

Place	Rent	Income
Gun Barrel City, TX	$960	$71,310	Compare
Arizona City, AZ	$990	$66,420	Compare
Palmerton, PA	$931	$68,143	Compare
Fairview, GA	$989	$64,050	Compare

Nearby

Compare Sutton-Alpine with

Common questions

Is Sutton-Alpine 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 8.8% a year while rent rose -2.4%, 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. Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,190 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 91% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 24 Alaska places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Sutton-Alpine expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 15.4% 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 $236,200.

What salary do you need to live in Sutton-Alpine?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $38,440 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Sutton-Alpine?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Gun Barrel City, TX, Arizona City, AZ, Palmerton, PA and Fairview, GA.

Sources and methods

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

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
Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
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.
County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
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
National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
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 Sutton-Alpine with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Sutton-Alpine itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/sutton-alpine-alaska

Citytistics. “Sutton-Alpine, Alaska.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/sutton-alpine-alaska/

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

Sutton-Alpine

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