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Place dossier plate
SheetAK-WASILLA-AK · Wasilla, AK 9,435 pop · income 50th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Wasilla
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Wasilla on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Fairfield · lowest
48,302
Fairfield · lowest
48,302 median HH income
40.2% of the leader · rank #1
Borden · near
70,750
Borden · near
70,750 median HH income
58.9% of the leader · rank #2
Froid · near
70,750
Froid · near
70,750 median HH income
58.9% of the leader · rank #3
Bennington · near
70,750
Bennington · near
70,750 median HH income
58.9% of the leader · rank #4
Wasilla · this city
70,756
Wasilla · this city
70,756 median HH income
58.9% of the leader · rank #5
Albion · near
70,761
Albion · near
70,761 median HH income
58.9% of the leader · rank #6
Beckett Ridge · highest
120,179
Beckett Ridge · highest
120,179 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Wasilla on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 9,435.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Wasilla - the verdict
Nationally, Wasilla sits in the 50th percentile for household income and the 17th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
50th
percentile, household income
69th
percentile, home value
70th
percentile, median rent
17th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Wasilla, AK
9,435 people live in Wasilla, Alaska - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Wasilla report a median income of $70,756 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 10.3%. Home values in Wasilla run a median of $325,000, and the median resident age is 35.3 years. 18.5% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 49.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 59 residential building permits were authorized in Wasilla (Building Boom), up 59% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Wasilla's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 2871.1 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, above the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Alaska tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: the state registers 102.4 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,467 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Alaska run around $271, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 35.2 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Wasilla's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from housing and income to work and mobility to schools and households to population change to comparison shortlist to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Wasilla, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
How far does income reach against housing in Wasilla?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 10.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
What does the journey to work look like in Wasilla?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 76.1%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
The NCES join finds 26 public schools within the city match. 18.5% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Which cities make useful reference points for Wasilla?
Within Alaska, the closest population matches are Tanaina (9,738 residents, $95,587 income); Meadow Lakes (8,994 residents, $81,250 income); Sitka (8,393 residents, $101,207 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Ashland, NJ (9,437 residents); Fairfield, IA (9,438 residents); Hailey, ID (9,439 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Population change
Is Wasilla growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1,443 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +15.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 59 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+15.8%
2025 estimate
10,556
2020 estimate
9,113
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Wasilla?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2871.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 26% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
2421.9
Violent rate
449.2
Total reported rate
2871.1
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Above median income · poverty 10.3% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
102.4 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Alaska average
F
City profile score · Wasilla, AK
34/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Household income C-
$70,756
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
10.3%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
18.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Cost of living F
102.4 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime F
449 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Wasilla profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 50/100 (C-) · $70,756
Poverty rate: 38/100 (F) · 10.3%
Bachelor's+ share: 30/100 (F) · 18.5%
Cost of living: 29/100 (F) · 102.4 index
Violent crime: 19/100 (F) · 449 /100k
Where Wasilla sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Wasilla's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Wasilla highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Wasilla, AK (this city): home $325,000, crime 2,871/100k
Fairfield, IA : home $152,900, crime 627/100k
Hailey, ID : home $574,500, crime 657/100k
Steger, IL : home $134,100, crime 2,078/100k
Alma, MI : home $108,100, crime 1,469/100k
Sitka, AK : home $442,100, crime 831/100k
Ketchikan, AK : home $340,300, crime 2,398/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Wasilla compare to other US cities?
Here's how Wasilla stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income50% higher than other cities
Home value69% pricier than other cities
Median rent70% pricier than other cities
Safety17% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Alaska alone, Wasilla ranks #20 of 23 Alaska cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Wasilla against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Alaska only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Alaska-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Wasilla near the bottom of Alaska's cities
Among the 228 Alaska cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Wasilla ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Wasilla only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#95 of 215
56th percentile in Alaska
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 228
0th percentile in Alaska
Median Home Value
#34 of 200
83rd percentile in Alaska
Poverty Rate
#104 of 225
53rd percentile in Alaska
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#104 of 228
54th percentile in Alaska
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Alaska only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
50th percentile nationally for median household income · 17th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Wasilla's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Wasilla's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Wasilla's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$325,00031st percentilemore affordable than 31% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Wasilla's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.6×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#12,173 of 15,516
More affordable than 22% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#9,297 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 4.6×, Wasilla sits in the moderate band:
national rank #12,173 of 15,516 and #9,297 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$70,756Wasilla, AK median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Wasilla, AK median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Wasilla, AK.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)18.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)10.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)49.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
9,435
Median Income
$70,756
Median Home Value
$325,000
Median Age
35.3
Poverty Rate
10.3%
Labor force participation
49.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
18.5%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2871.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
449.2
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2421.9
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
26
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Wasilla's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
9,113 residents
2021
9,449 residents
2022
9,694 residents
2023
9,941 residents
2024
10,302 residents
2025
10,556 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
59
housing units authorized
Single-Family
11
detached homes
Multifamily
48
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
6.3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
37
25
12
$9.2M
2020
32
8
24
$6.3M
2021
29
19
10
$7.5M
2022
41
25
16
$10.9M
2023
79
9
70
$15.2M
2024
59
11
48
$12.4M
Permit volume increased 59% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
76.1%
Carpool
9.3%
Public Transit
1.0%
Walk
1.7%
Work from Home
5.9%
Other
6.0%
Based on 3,757 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Alaska statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $271
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Alaska at $271 (electricity about $131 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are Alaska statewide averages, not a meter reading for Wasilla. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Alaska's BEA cost-of-living index is 102.4 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Wasilla is $1,467/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Alaska statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 35.2 / 100 (Very Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Alaska statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Wasilla sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Wasilla compares to similar-size Alaska cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.