Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is Alaska a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best places to live in Alaska.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Last Frontier based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.
So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Alaska, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 30 counties in the state.
After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Last Frontier for 2022.
The 10 Best Counties To Live In Alaska For 2022
Chugach Census Area is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Alaska. And you might want to avoid Kusilvak Census Area if you can — at least according to the data.
So if you’re thinking of making the move Alaska, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in Alaska and the cheapest places to live in Alaska.
The Best Counties To Live In Alaska For 2022
1. Chugach Census Area
Population: 6,495
Median Income: $90,776.0 (best)
Median Home Price: $234,300.0 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.8% (best)
More on Chugach Census Area:
2. Juneau City And Borough
Biggest Place: Juneau
Population: 32,099
Median Income: $88,077.0 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $355,100.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (7th best)
More on Juneau City And Borough: Photos | Data
3. Anchorage Municipality
Biggest Place: Anchorage
Population: 292,090
Median Income: $84,813.0 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $320,100.0 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.2% (8th best)
More on Anchorage Municipality: Photos | Data
4. Sitka City And Borough
Biggest Place: Sitka
Population: 8,569
Median Income: $81,708.0 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $365,800.0 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.4% (9th best)
More on Sitka City And Borough: Photos | Data
5. Aleutians West Census Area
Biggest Place: Unalaska
Population: 5,708
Median Income: $87,443.0 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $316,700.0 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.0% (5th best)
More on Aleutians West Census Area: Photos | Data
6. Fairbanks North Star Borough
Biggest Place: Fairbanks
Population: 98,455
Median Income: $76,464.0 (9th best)
Median Home Price: $240,300.0 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 7.1% (14th best)
More on Fairbanks North Star Borough: Photos | Data
7. Skagway Municipality
Biggest Place: Skagway
Population: 1,300
Median Income: $71,875.0 (14th best)
Median Home Price: $397,200.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 10.0% (2best)
More on Skagway Municipality: Photos | Data
8. Bristol Bay Borough
Biggest Place: Naknek
Population: 739
Median Income: $79,808.0 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $222,200.0 (16th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (4th best)
More on Bristol Bay Borough: Data
9. Ketchikan Gateway Borough
Biggest Place: Ketchikan
Population: 13,833
Median Income: $74,678.0 (13th best)
Median Home Price: $299,500.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.6% (10th best)
More on Ketchikan Gateway Borough: Photos | Data
10. Denali Borough
Biggest Place: Healy
Population: 2,502
Median Income: $76,364.0 (10th best)
Median Home Price: $233,700.0 (14th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (3rd best)
More on Denali Borough: Data
Methodology: How do you determine which Alaska county is the best?
To give you the best county in Alaska, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in Alaska across each of the criteria from one to 30, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Alaska”.
The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Last Frontier.
Read on to see why Chugach Census Area is the best county, while Kusilvak Census Area is probably in contention for being the worst county in Alaska.
Summary: The Best Counties In Alaska To Call Home For 2018
It turns out living in Alaska can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in Alaska according to the data:
- Kusilvak Census Area
- Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area
- Lake And Peninsula Borough
For more Alaska reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Alaska
- Best Places To Buy A House In Alaska
- Cheapest Places To Live In Alaska
- Best Counties To Live In Alaska
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Alaska
| County | Rank |
|---|---|
| Chugach Census Area | 1 |
| Juneau City And Borough | 2 |
| Anchorage Municipality | 3 |
| Sitka City And Borough | 4 |
| Aleutians West Census Area | 5 |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | 6 |
| Skagway Municipality | 7 |
| Bristol Bay Borough | 8 |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | 9 |
| Denali Borough | 10 |
| Haines Borough | 11 |
| Petersburg Borough | 12 |
| Kodiak Island Borough | 13 |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 14 |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough | 15 |
| Wrangell City And Borough | 16 |
| Copper River Census Area | 17 |
| Yakutat City And Borough | 18 |
| Prince Of Wales-Hyder Census Area | 19 |
| North Slope Borough | 20 |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | 21 |
| Aleutians East Borough | 22 |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | 23 |
| Dillingham Census Area | 24 |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | 25 |
| Nome Census Area | 26 |
| Bethel Census Area | 27 |
| Lake And Peninsula Borough | 28 |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | 29 |
| Kusilvak Census Area | 30 |
