Moving to
Badger.

All Badger data Compare Badger

18,677people live here $97,183median household income▲ 20% above US $1,629median rent per month▲ 15% above US $310,600median home valueNear US average

Badger is an unincorporated community in Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in Badger

Badger is an unincorporated community in Alaska with household incomes running above the national average, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Badger deals with rent well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, brutally cold winters, and snowy winters.

The good

Higher-than-average incomes
Short commutes
Average class sizes

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
Air quality concerns
Brutally cold winters
Snowy winters — 53" per year
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
Car-dependent — few commuters use transit

How Badger compares

Median household income

Badger$97,183

Alaska avg$92,788

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Badger$1,629

Alaska avg$1,419

US$1,413

Median home value

Badger$310,600

Alaska avg$352,900

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Badger

Based on Badger's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,258

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $65,160 a year
23% of Badger renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$62,120

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $31,060
Homes cost 3.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 15% above US

$1,629/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,629 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $310,600. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.

Median home value $310,600 · 23% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.1% county unemployment

Unemployment in Fairbanks North Star Borough is 4.1%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Fairbanks North Star Borough (county-wide)

Getting around▼ 13% below US

23 min average commute

Commutes are reasonable, averaging 22.5 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 5% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

83%

Carpool

8.3%

Work from home

5.3%

Other

2.6%

Public transit

0.4%

Walk

0.2%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 69°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to -14°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▼ 35% below US

24% bachelor's degree or higher

College degree attainment runs below average at 24%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.

Schools

2 public schools inside the boundary

There are 2 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.

Bottom line

Badger's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and commutes that run shorter than most cities; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,629/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.

See all the data for Badger →·All Alaska cities →