Healy, Alaska — Trends and Changes

How has Healy, Alaska changed since 2009?

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The population has grown about 13 percent, from 593 to 670 people; the median household income has risen from $87,232 to $125,000 (not adjusted for inflation); the typical home has gone from $210,000 to $309,200. Figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year releases, so each point is a rolling five-year estimate.

Relative Growth Since 2009
Each line starts at 100 in 2009; a line reaching 200 means that measure doubled. Exact values for each measure are in the charts and tables below. Source: ACS 5-year estimates.
At a Glance: Then and Now
Measure20092024Change
Population593670+13%
Median household income$87,232$125,000+43%
Median home value$210,000$309,200+47%
Median rent$1,028$575-44%
Median age37.9 yrs33.9 yrs-4.0 yrs
Average commute16.8 min20.2 min+3.4 min
College educated34.1%46.0%+11.9 points
Working from home4.6%5.2%+0.6 points
Poverty rate4.6%11.6%+7.0 points
Unemployment2.2%3.0%+0.8 points
Homeownership76.1%78.7%+2.6 points
Rent as share of income15.4%12.5%-2.9 points
Foreign-born residents3.2%7.9%+4.7 points
Broadband at home89.8%91.0%+1.2 points
Dollar figures are not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
Median Household Income

A typical household in Healy earned $87,232 a year in 2009. By 2024 that figure had climbed to $125,000, a change of +43 percent before inflation.

Year Income Alaska average
2009 $87,232 $64,363
2010 $93,523 $67,516
2011 $96,250 $69,983
2012 $97,778 $70,860
2013 $99,464 $71,339
2014 $97,708 $72,263
2015 $88,462 $72,684
2016 $101,136 $74,527
2017 $90,750 $75,897
2018 $87,760 $77,173
2019 $86,838 $77,934
2020 $93,906 $78,567
2021 $89,531 $81,687
2022 $97,404 $87,342
2023 $128,750 $90,539
2024 $125,000 $94,424
Median Home Value

The median home in Healy was worth $210,000 in 2009. Since then values have risen, and by 2024 the typical home was worth $309,200.

Year Home Value Alaska average
2009 $210,000 $219,557
2010 $220,100 $229,113
2011 $222,400 $234,839
2012 $241,500 $237,084
2013 $250,300 $241,205
2014 $229,200 $245,022
2015 $231,400 $248,350
2016 $248,100 $253,984
2017 $256,800 $260,239
2018 $232,700 $263,444
2019 $268,100 $268,967
2020 $262,300 $274,691
2021 $253,200 $282,133
2022 $235,500 $316,270
2023 $314,900 $331,130
2024 $309,200 $349,158
Population

Healy counted 593 residents in 2009 and 670 in 2024. The population peaked around 1,146 in 2014.

Year Residents
2009 593
2010 492
2011 874
2012 984
2013 1,097
2014 1,146
2015 1,120
2016 1,115
2017 1,098
2018 1,022
2019 968
2020 1,096
2021 911
2022 865
2023 723
2024 670
Median Gross Rent

Renters here paid a median of $1,028 a month in 2009 and $575 by 2024. Local incomes have grown faster than rents over that stretch.

Year Rent
2009 $1,028
2010 $1,075
2011 $772
2012 $1,400
2013 $1,313
2014 $1,296
2016 $950
2017 $844
2018 $596
2019 $875
2020 $836
2021 $1,000
2022 $529
2023 $825
2024 $575
College Degrees, Remote Work and Broadband

The share of adults holding a college degree went from 34.1% to 46.0%. Meanwhile remote work went from 4.6% of workers to 5.2%. Broadband reached 91.0% of households, from 89.8% in 2017.

Year College educated Working from home Broadband at home
2009 34.1% 4.6%
2010 33.9% 2.9%
2011 24.7% 4.9%
2012 29.5% 4%
2013 31.2% 7.4%
2014 36.9% 9.7%
2015 39.7% 10.4%
2016 42.4% 8%
2017 45.1% 10.4% 89.8%
2018 47.2% 5.8% 89.4%
2019 43.9% 6.9% 93.3%
2020 44.3% 4.7% 87.5%
2021 46.4% 6.3% 87.2%
2022 45.4% 8.9% 88.6%
2023 40.7% 11.2% 92.7%
2024 46% 5.2% 91%
Percent of adults with a college degree; percent of workers who work from home; percent of households with a broadband subscription (tracked since 2017).
Median Age

The median resident of Healy was 37.9 years old in 2009. The town has been getting younger since: the median age reached 33.9 by 2024.

Year Median age
2009 37.9
2010 39.3
2011 41
2012 40.2
2013 39.8
2014 41.3
2015 36.5
2016 40.4
2017 39.3
2018 43.8
2019 42.2
2020 42.9
2021 48.3
2022 48.7
2023 39.8
2024 33.9
Average Commute (Minutes)

Getting to work took an average of 16.8 minutes in 2009; it now takes about 20.2 minutes.

Year Minutes
2009 16.8
2010 16.6
2011 15.7
2012 17.7
2013 17.3
2014 18.5
2015 19.7
2016 19.3
2017 18.3
2018 18.4
2019 21
2020 20.8
2021 20
2022 18
2023 23.1
2024 20.2
Poverty and Unemployment

About 11.6% of residents live below the poverty line, up from 4.6% in 2009. Unemployment stands at 3.0%.

Year Poverty rate Unemployment
2009 4.6%
2010 5.9%
2011 8.9% 2.2%
2012 7.9% 2.5%
2013 8.2% 2.1%
2014 8.6% 2%
2015 6.8% 2.8%
2016 8.1% 0.7%
2017 7.8% 3.5%
2018 10.2% 3.9%
2019 9.7% 1%
2020 6.9% 6.3%
2021 6.6% 3.8%
2022 9.5% 3.7%
2023 11.1% 3.7%
2024 11.6% 3%
Income Inequality (Gini Index)

The Gini index measures income inequality: 0 would mean every household earns the same, 1 would mean a single household earns everything. Healy scores 0.37, up from 0.35 - incomes here have grown more unequal.

Year Gini index
2010 0.3
2011 0.3
2012 0.3
2013 0.3
2014 0.3
2015 0.3
2016 0.3
2017 0.3
2018 0.3
2019 0.3
2020 0.4
2021 0.3
2022 0.3
2023 0.3
2024 0.4
Housing: Ownership, Vacancy, Rent Burden

78.7% of occupied homes are owned by the people living in them, up from 76.1% in 2009. The typical renter puts 12.5% of household income toward rent. About 51.3% of housing units sit vacant, a level that usually signals seasonal or vacation homes.

Year Homeownership Rent as share of income Vacant units
2009 76.1% 15.4% 52.5%
2010 72.2% 13.9% 55.6%
2011 81.6% 10.8% 48.5%
2012 78.5% 12.3% 46.1%
2013 73.3% 12.2% 46%
2014 73.8% 11.9% 45.5%
2015 71.1% 10.9% 46.6%
2016 71.5% 11.5% 46.2%
2017 76.5% 13.7% 45.6%
2018 78.2% 17% 48.8%
2019 82.4% 22.5% 49.9%
2020 85.1% 27.6% 46.3%
2021 88.4% 30.8% 49.5%
2022 92.2% 31.5% 51.5%
2023 93.8% 33.1% 52.1%
2024 78.7% 12.5% 51.3%
Who Lives Here

7.9% of residents were born outside the United States, compared with 3.2% in 2009. Residents identifying as something other than non-Hispanic white make up 33.0% of the town, up from 8.4% at the start of the period.

Year Foreign-born Nonwhite or Hispanic
2009 3.2% 8.4%
2010 3.7% 13.4%
2011 10.2% 20.5%
2012 6.8% 16.8%
2013 5.8% 12.4%
2014 7.3% 13.2%
2015 4.2% 14.1%
2016 5% 13.2%
2017 8.5% 20.6%
2018 7.9% 24.6%
2019 4.4% 18.2%
2020 6.6% 23.4%
2021 6.6% 28.6%
2022 5.3% 38.2%
2023 6.6% 28.1%
2024 7.9% 33%