The area is considered semiarctic. The winter temperature can go as low as -55, while the highs in the summer reach the upper 80's. There are two small general stores and a post office, plus the school. Grocery prices are high due to the air freight prices. Fresh fruit and vegetables are brought in, but are extremely pricey.
Most income comes from public employment programs.
Subsistence activities such as hunting, fishing and trapping account for a major percentage of the total livelihood in the village. The Russian Orthodox Chapel of St. Seraphim was built in Lower Kalskag in 1940. Plans are underway to build a Christian church in Upper Kalskag. The Christiansens, resident missionaries in Upper Kalskag, are working toward this goal. The village council donated a piece of land for the church, and work was done last summer and this summer to clear it and prepare for building.