State rental market reference · Data updated October 18, 2026
Alaska rental market for DSCR investors: rent, taxes and insurance by borough
What a rental in Alaska rents for, what it costs to carry, and whether it stays rented, from official data for all 30 boroughs and census areas. Read it before you price a deal here.
Alaska at a glance
What does a rental rent for?
$1,529 a month
HUD's FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent where most of Alaska's renters live, from $1,030 (Kusilvak Census Area) to $2,394 (Aleutians West Census Area). It is the government figure for a modest 2-bedroom unit, utilities included, not the rent for a house.
What will property taxes cost?
1.11% of value a year
Homeowners in Alaska pay a median $3,901 a year on a median home value of $352,900 (Census ACS 2020–2024). A rental can be taxed at a different rate than an owner's home; the local tax bill is the real number.
What will insurance cost?
$1,240 a year
The median that homeowners with a mortgage in Alaska report paying for homeowners insurance (Census ACS 2020–2024). It is not a landlord quote: a rental policy usually costs more, and flood cover is extra.
Will it stay rented?
7.0% rental vacancy
Share of Alaska's rental homes vacant and for rent (Census ACS 2020–2024), across 89,700 renter households. Lower means rentals fill faster.
Are jobs growing?
Employment down 0.3% in a year
Employed residents in August 2026 against a year earlier; unemployment 3.5% (BLS, not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month a year apart).
Is new supply coming?
848 homes permitted in 2025
About 3.1 new homes per 1,000 households; 68% single-family (Census Building Permits Survey). More new homes means more competition for tenants and buyers.
How often does it flood?
456 flood claims since 2005
National Flood Insurance Program claims on properties in Alaska since 2005, $13.2 million paid (FEMA). Claims show where water has reached insured buildings; they are not a flood map, so check the FEMA flood zone for the address.
What it means for a DSCR rental in Alaska
A lender's DSCR is the monthly rent divided by the full monthly payment: principal, interest, property taxes, insurance and any HOA dues. Many lenders accept 1.00x; 1.20x leaves a cushion.
Take a home at Alaska's median value of $352,900, bought with 25% down on a 7.5% 30-year loan, with the state's typical tax rate and insurance:
- Principal and interest ($264,675 loan)
- $1,851
- Property taxes
- $326
- Insurance
- $103
- Full monthly payment
- $2,280
- Rent for a 1.20x DSCR
- $2,740 a month
The government 2-bedroom figure where most of Alaska's renters live is $1,529 a month, below the $2,740 that home needs. A house usually rents for more than a 2-bedroom unit, so price the house you are looking at with its own rent. The last column of the table below gives the same figure for each borough.
Rules and costs a landlord faces in Alaska
Each line quotes the official source it comes from and the date it was last checked. These are general rules, not legal advice; local rules can add to them.
- How long before you can file to evict for unpaid rent?
7 calendar days' notice for unpaid rent before an eviction can be filed.
If rent is unpaid when due and the tenant fails to pay rent in full within seven days after written notice by the landlord of nonpayment ... the tenancy terminates unless the landlord agrees to allow the tenant to remain in occupancy
Alaska State Legislature, checked October 18, 2026
- How large a security deposit can you take?
Up to 2 months' rent.
a landlord may not demand or receive prepaid rent or a security deposit, however denominated, in an amount or value in excess of two months' periodic rent. This section does not apply to rental units where the rent exceeds $2,000 a month.
Alaska State Legislature, checked October 18, 2026
- How fast must the deposit come back?
Within 14 days after the tenancy ends.
the landlord shall mail the written notice and refund required by (b) of this section within 14 days after the tenancy is terminated and possession is delivered by the tenant, except the landlord shall have 30 days ... if costs are deducted for damages
Alaska State Legislature, checked October 18, 2026
- What does the state charge to record a purchase?
No state transfer tax on a purchase.
The state may not levy or collect a sales or use tax on the transfer of real property.
Alaska State Legislature, checked October 18, 2026
- Is a rental taxed like the owner's home?
A rental does not get the owner's homestead benefit.
The real property owned and occupied as the primary residence and permanent place of abode by a resident who is (1) 65 years of age or older; (2) a disabled veteran; ... is exempt from taxation on the first $150,000 of the assessed value of the real property.
Alaska State Legislature, checked October 18, 2026
- Where do you insure when private insurers decline?
Surplus lines insurers.
You may also want to ask your agent or broker about surplus lines insurers, companies who are not issued a certificate of authority by the Alaska division of insurance but can sell policies for difficult to insure situations.
Alaska Division of Insurance, checked October 18, 2026
Market hubs in Alaska
DSCRInfo does not publish a monthly market hub in Alaska yet. The figures above and the table below cover every borough; the market hubs cover other states.
Alaska by borough
All 30 boroughs and census areas, most renter households first. "Rent for 1.20x" is the monthly rent a home at that borough's median value needs on the example loan above. A dash means the source publishes no reliable figure there.
| Borough | 2-bed FMR | Property tax | Insurance / yr | Rental vacancy | Jobs, 1 yr | Permits | Flood claims | Rent for 1.20x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage Municipality | $1,529 | 1.26% | $1,230 | 7.9% | -0.5% | 218 | 43 | $3,110 |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | $1,553 | 1.19% | $1,300 | 8.9% | -1.5% | 31 | 107 | $2,360 |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | $1,293 | 1.06% | $1,310 | 3.9% | -0.4% | 79 | 63 | $2,680 |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough | $1,390 | 0.63% | $1,230 | 6.9% | +0.4% | 222 | 51 | $2,360 |
| Juneau City and Borough | $1,807 | 0.95% | $920 | 3.8% | +2.6% | 117 | 86 | $3,350 |
| Bethel Census Area | $1,971 | 0.12% | $970 | 1.6% | +0.2% | 8 | 11 | $1,180 |
| Kodiak Island Borough | $2,239 | 0.87% | $1,470 | 5.9% | +6.4% | 9 | 0 | $3,100 |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | $1,733 | 0.67% | $1,180 | 8.5% | +4.2% | 63 | 8 | $2,860 |
| Sitka City and Borough | $1,622 | 0.46% | $1,270 | 3.0% | -3.2% | 10 | 3 | $3,170 |
| North Slope Borough | $1,521 | 1.06% | $1,220 | 5.8% | +3.6% | 5 | 1 | $1,730 |
| Chugach Census Area | $1,575 | 0.98% | $1,700 | 7.2% | -1.1% | 23 | 0 | $2,690 |
| Nome Census Area | $1,638 | 1.55% | $980 | 5.0% | +2.5% | 3 | 11 | $1,750 |
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | $1,269 | 0.51% | $1,190 | 4.8% | -2.7% | 0 | 0 | $1,650 |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | $1,196 | 1.13% | $600 | 1.7% | -6.0% | 0 | 50 | $790 |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | $2,005 | 0.10% | $90 | 2.1% | -1.8% | 2 | 10 | $1,280 |
| Aleutians West Census Area | $2,394 | 0.71% | $1,360 | 5.9% | +1.0% | 4 | 0 | $3,180 |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | $1,327 | 1.19% | $1,310 | 8.9% | -3.4% | – | 0 | $2,240 |
| Kusilvak Census Area | $1,030 | 0.24% | $60 | 1.7% | -3.0% | – | 0 | $560 |
| Dillingham Census Area | $1,295 | 1.72% | $1,450 | 6.6% | -3.5% | 0 | 0 | $1,420 |
| Petersburg Borough | $1,504 | 0.60% | $1,150 | 11.0% | +2.2% | 6 | 0 | $2,290 |
| Wrangell City and Borough | $1,295 | 0.56% | $1,220 | 2.9% | -1.9% | 1 | 0 | $2,150 |
| Copper River Census Area | $1,157 | 0.07% | $1,820 | 5.4% | -26.6% | – | 0 | $2,050 |
| Aleutians East Borough | $1,400 | 0.15% | $1,290 | 4.8% | -2.7% | 0 | 0 | $1,000 |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | $1,566 | 0.43% | $1,090 | 4.8% | +3.5% | 20 | 0 | $1,880 |
| Denali Borough | $1,220 | – | $1,550 | 7.3% | +12.4% | – | 0 | – |
Show the other 5 boroughs and census areas
| Borough | 2-bed FMR | Property tax | Insurance / yr | Rental vacancy | Jobs, 1 yr | Permits | Flood claims | Rent for 1.20x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haines Borough | $1,315 | 0.83% | $1,160 | 6.3% | +8.5% | 8 | 0 | $2,210 |
| Bristol Bay Borough | $1,269 | 0.83% | – | – | +1.2% | 6 | 0 | – |
| Skagway Municipality | $1,611 | 0.38% | $1,330 | – | -21.1% | 10 | 0 | $3,040 |
| Lake and Peninsula Borough | $1,050 | – | – | – | -5.4% | – | 0 | – |
| Yakutat City and Borough | $1,577 | 0.67% | – | – | +3.8% | 3 | 0 | – |
Where these numbers come from
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rents, in effect from October 1, 2026: the rent and utilities of a modest 2-bedroom unit, set for housing vouchers. It is not a house rent. Where HUD publishes by town (New England), the borough shows the range. HUD Fair Market Rents
- Property tax, insurance, vacancy and home value
- Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. Property tax is the median tax paid divided by the median home value of owner-occupied homes. Insurance is the median that owners with a mortgage report paying, not a landlord quote. Rental vacancy is homes vacant for rent divided by all rental homes. Figures from too few homes are left blank. American Community Survey
- Jobs
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics: employed residents in August 2026 against the same month a year earlier, not seasonally adjusted. BLS LAUS
- Permits
- Census Building Permits Survey: new housing units authorized in 2025, all building sizes. Building Permits Survey
- Flood claims
- FEMA National Flood Insurance Program claims with a loss in 2005 or later, and the net amount paid. Only insured buildings appear. Check a flood zone
These are screening figures for comparing places, not a quote, an appraisal or a loan offer. Alaska total flood payments since 2005: $13.2 million.