Cost of living makes a big difference when choosing where to move — and not all places were created equal.
We found the most affordable small town in every state.
To do this we looked at towns with populations between 1,000 and 10,000 whose households spend no more than 30% of their annual income on housing costs. We looked at the average cost of three types of housing — owned houses with a mortgage, owned houses without a mortgage, and rentals — and took a weighted average of these by the proportion of each type of home in the town.
Click here to read more about our methodology.
ALABAMA: Fayetteville
93% of homes are affordable.
An hour south of Birmingham, Fayetteville is actually named after a town in Tennessee from which early residents migrated. Employing over 33% of residents, retail is the most popular industry here, followed by manufacturing, which employs 15% of residents.
ALASKA: Healy
91.5% of homes are affordable.
Only 11 miles from the Denali National Park and Preserve, Healy offers several lodging and dining options for park visitors, creating a strong tourism industry in the town. However, more than tourism, coal mining in nearby Usibelli Coal Mine makes up most of Healy's livelihood.
ARIZONA: Quartzsite
93.2% of homes are affordable.
Just 18 miles east of the Colorado River, Quartzsite is best known for its beautiful assortment of rocks and minerals— as evidenced by its name. On first glance it might not sound like the most exciting industry, but the town's gem trade entices thousands of visitors per year. There is even a two-month-long gem show that starts in January.
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