Despite the severe winters, housing designs in Alaska do not differ notably from those in other states. Builders do usually provide thicker insulation in walls and ceilings, but the high costs of construction have not encouraged more energy-efficient adaptation to the environment. In 1980, the state legislature passed several measures to encourage energy conservation in housing and in public buildings. In native villages, traditional dwellings like the half-buried huts of the Aleuts and others have long since given way to conventional, low-standard housing. In point of fact, Alaska's Eskimos never built snow houses, as did those of Canada; in the Eskimo language, the word igloo refers to any dwelling.
In 2002, there were an estimated 265,377 housing units, 64.2% of which were owner-occupied. About 59.4% of all units were single-family, detached dwellings. It was estimated that about 4,796 units statewide were without telephone service while 7,094 lacked complete plumbing facilities and 4,782 lacked complete kitchen facilities.
From 1970 to 1978, 43,009 building permits were issued, as construction boomed during the years of pipeline building. In 2002, the state authorized 3,003 new privately owned housing units. The median home value was $162,526. The median monthly cost for mortgage owners was $1,363 while the median monthly rental cost was $761. During 2002, the Alaska state program received $6.4 million in aid from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, including $3.2 million in community development block grants.
The Alaska State Housing Authority acts as an agent for federal and local governments in securing financial aid for construction and management of low-rent and moderate-cost homes.