Anchorage’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Anchorage.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Alaska thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Anchorage. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Anchorage neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Anchorage hoods need a little tender loving care. We examined 31 of Anchorage’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live.
$51,280 median income
$43,934 median income
$62,589 median income
$53,634 median income
$65,031 median income
$70,387 median income
$67,594 median income
$69,792 median income
$81,927 median income
$79,226 median income
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Alaska’s statewide median.
Alaska statewide median: $387,636
Alaska statewide median: $92,788
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Anchorage neighborhoods in 2026
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Anchorage:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Anchorage, Alaska for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Anchorage.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2026. Skip to the end to see the list of all 31 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
The full plate
Most dangerous neighborhoods to live in Anchorage for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midtown | 3,641 | $222,733 | $51,280 |
| 2 | Mountain View | 8,350 | $188,120 | $43,934 |
| 3 | Downtown | 1,304 | $293,067 | $62,589 |
| 4 | Fairview | 5,724 | $272,000 | $53,634 |
| 5 | Airport Heights | 6,648 | $235,557 | $65,031 |
| 6 | Government Hill | 1,754 | $318,900 | $70,387 |
| 7 | Spenard | 11,168 | $238,620 | $67,594 |
| 7 | Russian Jack Park | 12,502 | $235,414 | $69,792 |
| 9 | Campbell Park | 8,117 | $311,000 | $81,927 |
| 10 | Northeast | 29,207 | $242,288 | $79,226 |
| 11 | University Area | 10,255 | $301,157 | $74,236 |
| 12 | Taku-Campbell | 12,918 | $257,020 | $81,579 |
| 13 | Abbott Loop | 24,649 | $273,600 | $95,068 |
| 14 | Eagle River Valley | 11,556 | $343,671 | $109,729 |
| 15 | Tudor Area | 1,446 | $300,300 | $85,888 |
| 16 | Sand Lake | 21,940 | $342,862 | $104,127 |
| 16 | Turnagain | 9,367 | $323,310 | $103,454 |
| 18 | Bayshore-Klatt | 9,225 | $319,600 | $108,222 |
| 19 | Scenic Foothills | 8,810 | $259,075 | $93,003 |
| 20 | North Star | 3,691 | $336,380 | $78,542 |
| 21 | Eagle River | 26,608 | $363,758 | $105,078 |
| 22 | Rogers Park | 4,117 | $303,950 | $96,686 |
| 23 | Old Seward-Oceanview | 6,100 | $320,867 | $122,159 |
| 23 | South Fork | 227 | $423,500 | $153,194 |
| 25 | Chugiak | 2,826 | $406,100 | $105,429 |
| 26 | Rabbit Creek | 6,101 | $532,600 | $156,703 |
| 27 | Bear Valley | 200 | $532,600 | $114,682 |
| 28 | Basher | 168 | $642,200 | $140,575 |
| 29 | Huffman-O’malley | 10,122 | $391,000 | $138,832 |
| 30 | Hillside East | 146 | $642,200 | $209,150 |
| 31 | South Addition | 4,016 | $475,150 | $122,938 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 31 Anchorage neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The worst neighborhoods around Anchorage
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Anchorage with Midtown landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Anchorage are Midtown, Mountain View, Downtown, Fairview, Airport Heights, Government Hill, Spenard, Russian Jack Park, Campbell Park, and Northeast.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Anchorage aren’t all bad. South Addition takes the cake as the best place to live in Anchorage.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below. Not sold on Alaska? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Worst Neighborhoods In Anchorage FAQs
What is the most dangerous neighborhood in Anchorage?
Midtown ranks as the worst neighborhood in Anchorage for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Mountain View and Downtown are next on the list.
What are the worst neighborhoods in Anchorage?
The worst-ranked neighborhoods in Anchorage are Midtown, Mountain View, Downtown, Fairview, Airport Heights, Government Hill, Spenard, Russian Jack Park, Campbell Park, and Northeast. We scored all 31 neighborhoods in the city.
Why does Midtown rank as the worst?
Midtown posts the roughest combined numbers in Anchorage: a median household income of $51,280 and a median home value of $222,733, with crime, unemployment, and density folded into the score.
Are these neighborhoods dangerous everywhere?
No. The scores are neighborhood-wide averages, and conditions change block by block and hour by hour. Plenty of people live in these neighborhoods without incident; the numbers just say the odds run tougher.
How do you rank the worst neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on crime, unemployment, income, density, and home values, using Census tract and FBI data. The worst combined score tops the list.
