CitytisticsShortlist

Farm Loop, AK vs Manchester, WA

Farm Loop

Alaska

vs

Manchester

Washington

Across 32 directional measures we can compare, Farm Loop leads on 12 and Manchester on 20. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 14% higher in Farm Loop, while median household income is higher in Manchester.

Median gross rent
$1,991$1,740
Farm Loop is 14% higher
Median household income
$119,375$126,371
Farm Loop is 6% lower
Median home value
$431,300$478,200
Farm Loop is 10% lower

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $91,400 a year left in Farm Loop and $104,800 in Manchester. Money goes further in Manchester, by about $13,400 a year.
  • A household earning Farm Loop's median of $119,375 would need about $113,000 in Manchester to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by 9.3 points a year in Farm Loop, and pay outran rent by 4.9 points a year in Manchester.

How these are calculated

AlaskaWashingtonManchester, WAFarm Loop, AKFarm LoopManchesterFarm LoopManchester

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 1 of 1 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Manchester, WAComposite 58.0 / 100
71
669351n/a1039n/a

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureFarm LoopManchesterAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$1,991$1,740
Rent to income120.0%16.5%
Property tax rate10.9%0.7%
Home price to income13.6x3.8x
Prices vs US average2105.4105.6
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$1,293$1,967
HUD area median income4$119,300n/a
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$3,904$3,529
Median home value1$431,300$478,200
Home prices, 1-year change55.3%2.7%
Home prices, 5-year change550.1%41.1%
Homeownership188.3%86.1%
Renters paying 30%+156.0%43.2%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,278$2,207
Vacant homes13.0%7.2%
Median year built119991988
Jobs and income
Median household income1$119,375$126,371
Income per person1$45,382$49,288
Unemployment17.3%0.0%
Average annual pay6$61,212$73,956
Pay growth, 1 year64.9%3.3%
Jobs629,97894,213
Poverty rate15.7%11.9%
Mean commute129 min34 min
Works from home112.9%16.1%
Commutes by transit10.0%9.5%
People
Population12,8945,956
Median age140.239.7
Bachelor's or higher137.4%32.4%
High school or higher197.2%96.8%
Household size12.92.6
Born abroad12.2%4.3%
No health insurance17.3%2.3%
Homes with broadband198.0%97.0%
Moving
Moved here in the past year16.2%7.8%
Moved from another state12.8%4.1%
Net movers per 1,000 people710.75.5
Income of households moving in7$76,632$84,911
Income of households moving out7$63,580$77,886
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k818.520.4
Shops per 10k824.425.0
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k86.74.4
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k824.817.3
Child care centers per 10k82.42.3
Parks per 10k90.03.4
Playgrounds per 10k90.03.4
Grocery stores per 10k90.00.0
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k96.96.7
Libraries per 10k90.03.4
Named paths and bike trails90.00.2
Transit stops per sq mi90.00.3
Nearest National Park Service site10n/a46.5
National Park Service sites within 60 miles10n/a2
National Register listings112924
Schools
Public schools124977
Public school students1219,49534,233
Students per teacher1219.317.8
Climate
July average high1360°F76°F
January average low133°F36°F
Average temperature1329°F52°F
Annual precipitation1334.8 in47.0 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1493.392.3
Tornado risk140.923.7
Wildfire risk1494.739.9
Heat wave risk14n/a89.5
Median air quality index15922
Good air days1591.5%95.5%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Farm Loop $79,640, Manchester $69,600 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. 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 Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 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
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. 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).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

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