Español

Este sitio también está en español. Leer en español

City · 11,924 residents · Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska

College , Alaska

In College, a typical home is worth $297,500 and typical rent is $1,454 a month. Home values, rent and income are very close to those of all of Fairbanks North Star Borough.

WhatsApp

  • Typical home value

    $297,500

    About the same as the borough

    16% below Alaska

    • College
    • Fairbanks North Star
    • Alaska

  • Typical rent

    $1,454a month

    About the same as the borough

    2% above Alaska

    • College
    • Fairbanks North Star
    • Alaska

  • Typical household income

    $83,895a year

    5% below the borough

    10% below Alaska

    • College
    • Fairbanks North Star
    • Alaska

  • Households that own their home

    61%

    1 points below the borough

    6 points below Alaska

    • College
    • Fairbanks North Star
    • Alaska

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Average 2020–2024

College is in Fairbanks North Star Borough. The FHA loan limit ($541,287 for a one-unit home), the fair market rents and the help on this page are those of all of Fairbanks North Star Borough. See the county

Data updated: October 1, 2026 11 official sources

Only here

What sets College apart

What this place has that others do not, from public data, most unusual first.

  1. Nearby, in Chena Ridge, the typical rent is $1,110: 24% less than in College ($1,454).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Average 2020–2024).

The homes here

Housing in College

What homes there are in College, what they cost, how that changed and how people live, from Census figures (2020–2024).

What homes there are

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

Kind of home

The detached house is the most common home in College: 59% of homes, near the figure in Fairbanks North Star Borough (60%).

Year built

The typical home in College was built in 1980, 5 years before the typical one in Fairbanks North Star Borough.

Homes in College are bigger: 53% have 3 bedrooms or more; in Fairbanks North Star Borough, 49%.

All homes, occupied or empty. A figure the Census cannot measure precisely enough here is not shown.

Census tables: B25024, B25034, B25035, B25041

What it costs here

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

Value of owner-occupied homes
Monthly rent with utilities

With a mortgage

$2,210 a month

Fairbanks North Star Borough: $2,194 a month

Without a mortgage

$814 a month

Fairbanks North Star Borough: $751 a month

Owners with a mortgage

45%

Fairbanks North Star Borough: 57%

Owning costs about the same in College as in Fairbanks North Star Borough: with a mortgage, $2,210 a month; without one, $814.

Value: what owners think their home is worth. Rent: rent plus utilities, for homes of every size. The FHA limit is the most an FHA loan (Federal Housing Administration) lends for a one-unit home; the fair market rent (FMR) is the one HUD uses for housing vouchers.

Census tables: B25075, B25063, B25088, B25081

How it changed

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2015–2019 and 2020–2024

Change since 2015–2019

The typical home value in College rose 22% since 2015–2019, about the same as in Fairbanks North Star Borough (24%).

Rents in College rose at about the same pace as in Fairbanks North Star Borough: 12% since 2015–2019, against 12%.

Change between two 5-year periods that do not overlap, in each period's dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

Census tables: B25077, B25064, B19013

How people live

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

MeasureCollegeFairbanks North Star BoroughAlaskaUnited States
Rental vacancy Unreliable estimate8.9%7.0%5.5%
Homeowner vacancy Unreliable estimateUnreliable estimate0.9%0.9%
More than one person per room Unreliable estimate4.0%5.7%3.4%
People per household 2.422.512.612.53
Drive alone 65%72%65%69%
Carpool 14%12%12%9%
Public transit Unreliable estimateUnreliable estimate1%3%
Walk or bike 15%7%8%3%
Work from home Unreliable estimate7%10%15%
Other means Unreliable estimate2%4%2%
Typical commute 10 to 19 minutes10 to 19 minutes10 to 19 minutes20 to 29 minutes

By size, households in College look like those in Fairbanks North Star Borough: 2.42 people on average.

In College, 15% of workers walk or bike to work; in Fairbanks North Star Borough, 7%.

Vacancy: empty homes offered for rent or for sale. Rooms: every room in the home, not only bedrooms. Commute: the minute range of the typical worker.

Census tables: B25004, B25003, B25014, B25010, B08301, B08303

Do the math

What would you pay each month for a home in College?

A typical home costs more than the typical income allows

We start with a typical home in College, worth $297,500, an FHA loan with 3.5% down and the latest average rate (7.18%). That payment would take 36% of the typical household income in College, which is $83,895 a year. For that payment to be 28% of income, a household would need to earn about $108,935 a year.

The calculator's FHA and conventional loan limits are those of all of Fairbanks North Star Borough.

Your numbers

Local data
$

Starts at the typical home value in College. Change it to the price you have in mind.

Loan type
Your credit score

Your score changes which loans apply and FHA's minimum down payment. Your real rate also depends on your credit.

Down payment
%

That is $10,413 (3.5% of the price). The usual minimum for this loan is 3.5%.

This week's average ± a quarter or half point.

Term

National average as of November 5, 2026 (Freddie Mac); your rate may be different.

Adjust advanced details

Estimated monthly payment

Local data

$2,542

at 7.18% · 30 years

Loan amount
$292,111
Total interest
$420,279
Paid off in
November 2056

Includes $5,024 FHA upfront mortgage insurance premium.

Does it fit the income?

  • Comfortable

    up to $1,958 a month

  • Tight

    $1,958 to $2,517 a month

  • Hard

    more than $2,517 a month

    Your payment · 36%

Compared with the typical household income in College ($83,895 a year). Reference: HUD calls paying more than 30% of income for housing a cost burden.

Show the result as
per month$2,542
Principal & interest$1,979
Property tax$307
Home insurance$124
FHA mortgage insurance (MIP)$132

You need at least $10,413 for the down payment, plus closing costs.

Next step

This is an estimate to give you an idea, not a loan offer. Your real payment depends on your rate, your credit, and the insurance and taxes on the home you buy.

The city and its county

College and Fairbanks North Star Borough

College is in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska. The U.S. Census Bureau publishes its own numbers for the city: home values, rent, household income, how many households own their home and the property tax. They are American Community Survey estimates (average 2020–2024).

College's own numbers

Typical home value
$297,500
Typical monthly rent
$1,454
Typical yearly household income
$83,895
Households that own their home
61%
Effective property tax rate
1.24%

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (average 2020–2024).

Numbers for all of Fairbanks North Star Borough

FHA limit, one-unit home
$541,287
Conventional limit, one unit
$1,249,125
HUD fair market rent, 2 bedrooms
$1,553
Price change over 5 years (FHFA)
+36%
Homes in a high flood-risk zone
5.6%

HUD, FHFA and FEMA don't publish these numbers by city.

Other numbers are not published by city, only for the whole county: FHA and conventional loan limits, HUD’s fair market rents, FHFA’s price index and FEMA’s flood data. On this page, those numbers always say they are for all of Fairbanks North Star Borough.

Everything about Fairbanks North Star Borough

Buying

Buying a home in College

A typical home in College is worth $297,500: about the same as the borough and 16% below Alaska. With the typical household income in College ($83,895 a year), a typical home costs 3.5 times what the household earns in a year.

Years of income to pay for a typical home

The typical home value divided by the typical household income for one year. The lower it is, the less buying weighs.

  • College 3.5 years
  • Fairbanks North Star 3.4 years
  • Alaska 3.8 years
  • United States 4.1 years
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Average 2020–2024

How prices have changed in Fairbanks North Star Borough

According to FHFA’s house price index, home prices in Fairbanks North Star Borough rose 55% in the 10 years through 2025.

FHFA does not publish this index by city: these are the numbers for all of Fairbanks North Star Borough.

Period Borough Alaska U.S.
Last year (2025) +5.0% +4.1% +2.9%
5 years (2020–2025) +36% +39% +47%
10 years (2015–2025) +55% +52% +85%

The index follows the price of the same homes over time (sales and appraisals with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans). It is not the average price of a home. FHFA considers its annual county indexes experimental. Source: FHFA, 2025 data

College next to Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska and the U.S.

Three numbers side by side. “Typical” means the median: half are above it and half below.

Typical home value
  • College $297,500
  • Fairbanks North Star $298,200
  • Alaska $352,900
  • United States $332,700
Typical monthly rent
  • College $1,454
  • Fairbanks North Star $1,459
  • Alaska $1,419
  • United States $1,413
Typical yearly household income
  • College $83,895
  • Fairbanks North Star $88,267
  • Alaska $92,788
  • United States $80,734
See the full table
College next to Fairbanks North Star Borough and Alaska
Measure College Fairbanks North Star Borough Alaska U.S.
Typical home value $297,500 $298,200 $352,900 $332,700
Typical monthly rent $1,454 $1,459 $1,419 $1,413
Typical yearly household income $83,895 $88,267 $92,788 $80,734
Households that own their home 61% 62% 67% 65%
Typical yearly property tax $3,697 $3,550 $3,901 $3,119
Effective property tax rate 1.24% 1.19% 1.11% 0.94%
Renters with high rent for their income 46% 46% 45% 51%

“Typical” means the median: half are above and half are below. ▲ and ▼ say whether the city is above or below Fairbanks North Star Borough. “High rent” is the Census measure: renter households that pay 30% or more of their income in rent.

Four ways to pay for a typical home in College

For a typical $297,500 home in College, at Freddie Mac's average rate (7.18% as of November 5, 2026) over 30 years. The monthly payment adds principal and interest, College's typical property tax, an example home insurance and mortgage insurance when it applies.

  • FHA, 3.5% down $2,542a month

    Least cash to close
    Down payment
    $10,413
    Cash to close
    $19,338
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    FHA MIP · $132

  • Conventional, 5% down $2,487a month

    Down payment
    $14,875
    Cash to close
    $23,800
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    PMI · $141

  • Conventional, 20% down, no PMI $2,044a month

    Down payment
    $59,500
    Cash to close
    $68,425
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    None

  • ITIN, 15% down (example) $2,319a month

    Down payment
    $44,625
    Cash to close
    $53,550
    Rate
    8.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    None

The option that asks for the least cash to close is FHA, 3.5% down.

  • Cash to close = down payment plus 3% of the price in closing costs (example).
  • Minimum score: FHA requires 580 or higher for the minimum down payment (HUD Handbook 4000.1). * Fannie Mae requires 620 when a loan is underwritten by hand; its automated system has no fixed minimum.
  • The ITIN row is an example with a rate 1 percentage point higher: ITIN loans follow no federal rule and each lender sets its own down payment and rate. Nothing in this table promises an approval.

How much house can I afford? Estimate closing costs

Taxes and floods

Two costs that change from place to place

Property tax and flood insurance raise or lower what you pay each month. Here are the numbers for College and for Fairbanks North Star Borough.

Property tax

Effective rate in College

1.24%of the home’s value each year

$3,697 a year for the typical owner in College.

  • College 1.24%
  • Fairbanks North Star 1.19%
  • Alaska 1.11%

What Alaska publishes Optional municipal residential exemption (Alaska State Legislature (Alaska Statutes 2025))

Exemptions and deadlines in Alaska

Flood risk in Fairbanks North Star Borough

FEMA does not publish these numbers by city: they are for all of Fairbanks North Star Borough.

Homes in the high-risk zone
5.6%
1,707
Of those, with NFIP insurance
26%
Borough Alaska U.S.
Homes in the high-risk zone 5.6% 1.2% 3.5%
Of those, with NFIP insurance 26% 49% 48%

Most homeowners insurance policies do not cover flood damage.

Look up your address on FEMA’s map

Renting

Renting in College

Typical rent in College is $1,454 a month: about the same as the borough. In College, 46% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income in rent.

HUD publishes a fair market rent for all of Fairbanks North Star Borough, by unit size. To pay the 2-bedroom one ($1,553 a month) without spending more than 30% of your income, you would need to earn $29.87 an hour working full time.

HUD fair market rent for all of Fairbanks North Star Borough

What you need to earn to pay it without spending more than 30% of income, working full time.

Size Fair rent a month Hourly wage Yearly income
Studio $1,081 $20.79 $43,240
1 bedroom $1,187 $22.83 $47,480
2 bedrooms $1,553 $29.87 $62,120
3 bedrooms $2,150 $41.35 $86,000
4 bedrooms $2,596 $49.92 $103,840

Includes basic utilities. It isn't the lowest or highest rent: it's a reference point. Source: HUD, Fiscal year 2027

By ZIP code

Fair market rent by ZIP code in College

HUD also publishes a fair market rent for each ZIP code (Small Area FMR, fiscal year 2027). College has 2 ZIP codes with their own.

For 2 bedrooms it is $1,510 in all of them.

None is above the fair market rent for Fairbanks North Star Borough ($1,553).

  • 99709 $1,510$2,100
  • 99775 $1,510$2,100

1 of these ZIP codes crosses the city line: HUD sets the rent by ZIP code, not by city. A ZIP code counts for College when at least 50% of its land is inside the city or it covers at least 15% of the city (Census 2020 boundaries). Source: Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) Fiscal year 2027 Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) Source: Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file Data from 2020 data Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file

Is your rent high for your ZIP?

Free help

Help to buy or rent in College

You do not have to do this alone. A HUD-approved housing counseling agency helps for free or at low cost: getting ready to buy, understanding your credit, or solving a problem with your rent.

We found no HUD-approved agencies with an office in Fairbanks North Star Borough. The nearest ones are below; many serve by phone or online.

A man leans over the armchair where a girl is reading a book.

HUD counseling is free or low-cost

Assistance programs in College

No down payment, repair or rent-help program on our list is for College or Fairbanks North Star Borough. The ones below are statewide in Alaska: they work in College the same as in the rest of the state.

Which programs do I qualify for? All programs in Alaska

  • Closing Cost Assistance Program (CCAP)

    Statewide in Alaska

    Alaska state authority help of 3% or 4% of the loan, paid at closing and not repaid, for the down payment, closing costs or to reduce the principal; with 30-year fixed-rate FHA, VA or USDA mortgages. Offered by Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC).

    Grant

    See the program Official page

Housing counselors near College

The HUD-approved agencies closest to the center of College, in a straight line, nearest first. If one says it serves in Spanish, its card says so.

  • Rural Alaska Community Action Program

    130 E Redoubt Ave, Soldotna · 320 miles away

    • Budget and credit workshops
    • Home improvement and repairs
    • and 1 more
    (907) 260-3451

All counseling agencies in Alaska

Help in Spanish near College

None of the 1 agencies on this list say they serve in Spanish.

Ask for service in Spanish

When you call, say “Spanish, please” or ask if someone speaks Spanish. If not, ask whether they offer an interpreter.

Housing authorities of College

HUD lists no housing authority with an office in Fairbanks North Star Borough. One in a neighboring county or the state’s may serve the area.

All housing agencies in Alaska Source: HUD

Cities

Other cities in Fairbanks North Star Borough

These cities are also in Fairbanks North Star Borough. They share its loan limits and fair market rents, but home values and rent change from one to the next.

Everything about Fairbanks North Star Borough Housing in Alaska

Nearby cities

The cities closest to College, with the typical home value.

Neighboring counties

If Fairbanks North Star Borough is out of reach, look next door. Each number is that county's own.

Keep going

Guides for your next step

Short explanations, in plain language and with official sources, for buying or renting in College.

All guides
A smiling girl holds up a small mushroom she found on a forest outing.

Questions

Housing questions about College

Short answers with the numbers for College and all of Fairbanks North Star Borough. If your case is different, a HUD-approved counseling agency can guide you for free or at low cost.

How much does a typical home cost in College?

The typical home value in College is $297,500, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (average 2020–2024). For comparison, in Fairbanks North Star Borough it is $298,200.

How much does it cost to rent in College?

Typical rent in College is $1,454 a month, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. HUD’s fair market rent for 2 bedrooms in Fairbanks North Star Borough is $1,553.

What is the FHA loan limit in College?

College uses the FHA limit for all of Fairbanks North Star Borough (2026): $541,287 for a one-unit home and $1,041,125 for a four-unit home.

How much property tax do owners pay in College?

The typical homeowner in College pays $3,697 a year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is 1.24% of the home’s value; in Fairbanks North Star Borough, the rate is 1.19%.

Where can I find free help to buy or rent in College?

We found no HUD-approved counseling agencies with an office in Fairbanks North Star Borough; the nearest ones are on this page. They can help you get ready to buy, with your credit, or with rent.

Sources: American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (Average 2020–2024); FHA mortgage limits (HUD) (2026 data); Conforming loan limits (FHFA) (2026 data); Fair Market Rents (HUD) (Fiscal year 2027); Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) (Fiscal year 2027); Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file (2020 data); HUD-approved housing counseling agencies (Retrieved November 6, 2026); Public Housing Agencies (HUD) (Retrieved November 6, 2026); Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) (As of November 5, 2026); FHFA House Price Index (HPI) (2025 data); Homes with flood insurance (NFIP, FEMA) (As of August 3, 2026).