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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 15, here's a look at the 10 Best Small Towns To Live in Alaska for 2022.
The 10 Best Small Towns To Live In Alaska For 2022
What's the best small town in Alaska? Diamond Ridge is the best small town in Alaska based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Diamond Ridge, 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:
The 15 Best Small Towns In Alaska For 2022
/10
Population: 1,336
Median Income: $95,385 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $281,700 (7th Best)
More on Diamond Ridge: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,248
Median Income: $91,442 (7th Best)
Median Home Value: $341,100 (3rd Best)
More on Cordova: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,637
Median Income: $104,200 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $301,600 (6th Best)
More on Farm Loop: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,758
Median Income: $90,938 (8th Best)
Median Home Value: $403,200 (1st Best)
More on Unalaska: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,631
Median Income: $101,466 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $268,100 (11th Best)
More on Ridgeway: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,191
Median Income: $80,333 (16th Best)
Median Home Value: $353,700 (2nd Best)
More on Skagway: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,812
Median Income: $74,110 (18th Best)
Median Home Value: $251,700 (17th Best)
More on Seward: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,969
Median Income: $81,491 (15th Best)
Median Home Value: $222,400 (26th Best)
More on North Pole: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,905
Median Income: $61,189 (30th Best)
Median Home Value: $263,800 (14th Best)
More on Haines: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,888
Median Income: $84,375 (12th Best)
Median Home Value: $270,000 (9th Best)
More on Butte: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,869
Median Income: $85,268 (11th Best)
Median Home Value: $266,800 (12th Best)
More on Nome: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,315
Median Income: $70,060 (22nd Best)
Median Home Value: $237,800 (21st Best)
More on Goldstream: Data | Homes For Sale
Population: 1,096
Median Income: $93,906 (5th Best)
Median Home Value: $262,300 (15th Best)
More on Healy: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,174
Median Income: $66,683 (24th Best)
Median Home Value: $252,900 (16th Best)
More on Ester: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,865
Median Income: $93,281 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $168,900 (40th Best)
More on Valdez: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
Methodology: 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 2016-2020 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 - 46 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 46, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Alaska. Top of that list -- Diamond Ridge. You can download the data here.
Keep reading to find out more about our top 15 best small towns in Alaska.
Summary: 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 15 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:
- Alakanuk
- Susitna North
- Emmonak
For more Alaska reading, check out: