Article Table Of Contents
You've seen these lists before: Best places to live in Alaska, Most Beautiful Downtowns, etc., etc. But all of them focus on major cities and towns in the Last Frontier and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that's all about to change as we put together a list of the best small towns in Alaska based on numbers--not opinions or hearsay.
We'll dive right into our methodology in the next section; but first, we thought you might just want to know which places in Alaska ranked the based--you know, based on science.
Before we get to the top 20, here's a look at the 10 Best Small Towns To Live in Alaska for 2020:
What's the best small town in Alaska? Haines is the best small town in Alaska based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Haines, chances are, you're not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.
But for the rest of you--keep reading and we'll get to just why these small towns made our list.
For more reading on the Last Frontier check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In Alaska
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Alaska
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Alaska
The 20 Best Small Towns In Alaska For 2020
/10
Population: 1,870
Median Income: $75,833 (15th Best)
Median Home Value: $250,800 (11th Best)
More on Haines: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,055
Median Income: $85,970 (8th Best)
Median Home Value: $316,200 (3rd Best)
More on Cordova: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,137
Median Income: $99,167 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $264,200 (8th Best)
More on Farm Loop: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,285
Median Income: $94,028 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $279,200 (5th Best)
More on Diamond Ridge: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,389
Median Income: $80,227 (11th Best)
Median Home Value: $248,500 (12th Best)
More on Goldstream: Data | Homes For Sale
Population: 1,005
Median Income: $71,500 (19th Best)
Median Home Value: $322,200 (2nd Best)
More on Skagway: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,781
Median Income: $92,273 (5th Best)
Median Home Value: $342,600 (1st Best)
More on Unalaska: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,312
Median Income: $67,227 (23rd Best)
Median Home Value: $274,700 (6th Best)
More on Ester: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,660
Median Income: $79,301 (12th Best)
Median Home Value: $222,100 (18th Best)
More on North Pole: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,617
Median Income: $98,984 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $256,800 (10th Best)
More on Ridgeway: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,589
Median Income: $61,723 (28th Best)
Median Home Value: $210,800 (25th Best)
More on Soldotna: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,813
Median Income: $81,449 (10th Best)
Median Home Value: $239,800 (14th Best)
More on Nome: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,770
Median Income: $76,410 (14th Best)
Median Home Value: $235,000 (15th Best)
More on Seward: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,870
Median Income: $95,847 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $189,700 (29th Best)
More on Valdez: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,929
Median Income: $78,571 (13th Best)
Median Home Value: $245,000 (13th Best)
More on Butte: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,250
Median Income: $73,500 (18th Best)
Median Home Value: $260,200 (9th Best)
More on Dillingham: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,022
Median Income: $87,760 (7th Best)
Median Home Value: $232,700 (16th Best)
More on Healy: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,613
Median Income: $88,696 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $230,900 (17th Best)
More on Deltana: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,465
Median Income: $66,645 (24th Best)
Median Home Value: $184,200 (31st Best)
More on Bear Creek: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,484
Median Income: $57,583 (32nd Best)
Median Home Value: $212,600 (24th Best)
More on Wrangell: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Alaska
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent data from the Census's 2014-2018 American Community Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which, there were a lot - 40 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 40, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Alaska. Top of that list -- Haines. You can download the data here.
Keep reading to find out more about our top 20 best small towns in Alaska.
Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once and we'll say it again -- this list: it's just science. We did the research, we crunched the numbers, and it turns out, these 20 small towns in Alaska are the best, in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
If you're curious, here are the worst small towns in Alaska:
- Big Lake
- Sutton-Alpine
- Houston
For more alaska reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Best Small Towns In Alaska
Rank | City | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Haines, AK | 1,870 |
2 | Cordova, AK | 3,055 |
3 | Farm Loop, AK | 1,137 |
4 | Diamond Ridge, AK | 1,285 |
5 | Goldstream, AK | 4,389 |
6 | Skagway, AK | 1,005 |
7 | Unalaska, AK | 4,781 |
8 | Ester, AK | 1,312 |
9 | North Pole, AK | 2,660 |
10 | Ridgeway, AK | 2,617 |
11 | Soldotna, AK | 4,589 |
12 | Nome, AK | 3,813 |
13 | Seward, AK | 2,770 |
14 | Valdez, AK | 3,870 |
15 | Butte, AK | 3,929 |
16 | Dillingham, AK | 2,250 |
17 | Healy, AK | 1,022 |
18 | Deltana, AK | 2,613 |
19 | Bear Creek, AK | 1,465 |
20 | Wrangell, AK | 2,484 |
21 | Craig, AK | 1,263 |
22 | Fritz Creek, AK | 1,956 |
23 | Lazy Mountain, AK | 1,800 |
24 | Delta Junction, AK | 1,053 |
25 | Kotzebue, AK | 3,288 |
26 | Sand Point, AK | 1,372 |
27 | King Cove, AK | 1,074 |
28 | Tok, AK | 1,160 |
29 | Salamatof, AK | 1,015 |
30 | Cohoe, AK | 1,217 |
31 | Anchor Point, AK | 2,093 |
32 | Nikiski, AK | 4,575 |
33 | Metlakatla, AK | 1,635 |
34 | Funny River, AK | 1,251 |
35 | Chevak, AK | 1,144 |
36 | Willow, AK | 2,126 |
37 | Hooper Bay, AK | 1,101 |
38 | Houston, AK | 2,172 |
39 | Sutton-Alpine, AK | 1,586 |
40 | Big Lake, AK | 2,765 |