Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety5#14,901/15,637
Economy69#4,907/15,631
Housing64#5,425/14,977
Health39#9,509/15,609
Healthcare62#5,885/15,650
Environment—
Education76#3,831/15,649
Infrastructure93#1,126/15,650
Community75#3,976/15,651
Leisure & amenities57#6,708/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Anchorage, Alaska ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Anchorage Municipality value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Dentists · high135 /100k
99/100Alaska 106 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAnchorage Municipality value
Mental health providers · high831 /100k
98/100Alaska 802 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAnchorage Municipality value
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100Alaska 0%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAnchorage Municipality value
Distance to an airport · low8 mi
97/100Alaska 131 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAnchorage Municipality value
Median Air Quality Index · low26
96/100Alaska 232025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAnchorage Municipality value
High school diploma or higher · high94.1%
96/100Alaska 93.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Violent crime rate · high1,027 /100k
1/100Alaska 729 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAnchorage Municipality value
Drug overdose deaths · high56.3 /100k
1/100Alaska 40.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataAnchorage Municipality value
Property crime rate · high3,307 /100k
1/100Alaska 1,893 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAnchorage Municipality value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high1,320 mi
1/100Alaska 1,315 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAnchorage Municipality value
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
3/100Alaska 1.1 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAnchorage Municipality value
Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
7/100Alaska 0.6 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAnchorage Municipality value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedWorsening
3.9 /1k (2021) → 0.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−79%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
90.0% (2015-2019) → 94.5% (2020-2024)
+4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$84,928 (2015-2019) → $103,284 (2020-2024)
+22%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
36.1% (2015-2019) → 38.7% (2020-2024)
+2.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Child poverty rateImproving
13.1% (2015-2019) → 10.8% (2020-2024)
−2.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
12.4% (2015-2019) → 11.2% (2020-2024)
−1.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Anchorage, Alaska improved on 6 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 7 moved within the margin of error and 2 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved6

Unemployment−1.1 points5.7% → 4.6%
Uninsured−1.3 points12.4% → 11.2%
Child poverty−2.3 points13.1% → 10.8%
Bachelor's++2.5 points36.1% → 38.7%
Household income+22%$84,928 → $103,284

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Anchorage, Alaska between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.9 min2015-2019	18.8 min2020-2024	−0.0 min	Within the margin of error	48%
Bachelor's degree or higher	36.1%2015-2019	38.7%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Improved	48%
Broadband subscriptions	90.0%2015-2019	94.5%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Improved	29%
Child poverty rate	13.1%2015-2019	10.8%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Improved	57%
Effective property tax rate	1.24%2015-2019	1.17%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	29%
High school diploma or higher	93.9%2015-2019	94.1%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Little change	36%
Home price to income ratio	3.7×2015-2019	3.8×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	73%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4302015-2019	0.4312020-2024	+0.001	Within the margin of error	50%
Median household income	$84,9282015-2019	$103,2842020-2024	+22%	Improved	36%
Poverty rate	9.0%2015-2019	8.9%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Public transit commuters	1.5%2015-2019	1.4%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Rent as share of income	28.3%2015-2019	28.5%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Rent-burdened households	45.5%2015-2019	46.3%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Unemployment rate	5.7%2015-2019	4.6%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Improved	71%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.4%2015-2019	11.2%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Improved	62%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Anchorage, Alaska five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Anchorage, Alaska in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Anchorage, Alaska itself moved −0.9 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

288,976 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 50–59 women (−1.0 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

288,976 residents

Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska share

White54%156,623
Black4.8%13,941
Hispanic or Latino9.5%27,445
Asian9.8%28,310
American Indian and Alaska Native7.0%20,177
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander3.1%8,885
Other or two or more races12%33,595

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−3.7 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

192,864 residents

Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska share

No high school diploma5.9%11,352
High school or GED24%46,386
Some college23%45,158
Associate degree8.0%15,419
Bachelor's degree24%45,794
Graduate degree15%28,755

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Some college (−2.0 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

108,597 households (±1,322)

Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $25k9.5%10,355
$25k–50k12%13,305
$50k–75k13%14,205
$75k–100k14%14,834
$100k–150k20%21,916
$150k–200k13%14,276
$200k or more18%19,706

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+7.3 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

108,597 households (±1,322)

Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska share

Own64%69,393
Rent36%39,204

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+2.6 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

37,565 households (±1,281)

Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $7506.3%2,377
$750–1,0009.6%3,621
$1,000–1,50035%13,076

Home values

69,393 homes (±1,314)

Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $150k7.8%5,438
$150k–250k10.0%6,909
$250k–400k33%23,030

Age of homes

120,348 homes (±946)

Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska share

2010 or later7.3%8,839
2000–200912%14,533
1980–199936%43,369

Size of homes

120,348 homes (±946)

Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska share

Studio3.3%3,999
1 bedroom9.9%11,868
2 bedrooms26%31,184

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

149,225 workers (±1,725)

Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska share

Drive alone70%104,338
Carpool12%18,110
Public transit1.4%2,115
Walk2.6%3,947
Bike0.7%988
Work from home11%16,274
Other2.3%3,453

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+7.0 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

132,951 workers (±2,089)

Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska share

Under 15 min37%49,821
15–29 min46%61,757
30–44 min11%14,616

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Anchorage, AK

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Anchorage Municipality, the county holding most of Anchorage's residents.

Anchorage Municipality has 8,799 employer establishments, 307 for every 10,000 residents (1.24× the US rate of 248; 1.02× Alaska's), with 141,432 paid employees at an average annual pay of $75,510. The Census Bureau also counts 23,123 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 8,799; 23,123 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 307; US 248 · Alaska 302
Paid employees: 141,432
Average annual pay: $75,510; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Anchorage Municipality by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	859	30	1.44×More than typical	10,488	$87,530	1,158
Restaurants and other eating places	579	20.2	1.10×About typical	9,806	$30,226	106
Specialty trade contractors	536	18.7	1.21×About typical	4,008	$94,386	879
Lessors of real estate	397	13.8	1.12×About typical	1,896	$55,421	2,536
Construction of buildings	314	10.9	1.45×More than typical	2,822	$107,713	416
Offices of physicians	280	9.8	1.51×More than typical	3,027	$119,778	296
Offices of other health practitioners	278	9.7	1.60×More than typical	1,423	$65,684	669
Services to buildings and dwellings	247	8.6	1.28×More than typical	2,835	$50,690	1,025
Limited-service restaurants	223	7.8	0.97×About typical	3,668	$27,157	42
Full-service restaurants	218	7.6	0.99×About typical	4,804	$34,313	39
Legal services	217	7.6	1.41×More than typical	1,140	$109,875	249
Architectural, engineering and related services	216	7.5	2.16×More than typical	4,329	$105,534	207

Rank places for an industry Open Anchorage Municipality

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 286,771 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $1.9B of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Anchorage, Alaska: $6,465 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.9B; −13% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,465; US $1,994
Sole-source: 28%; US 30%
Single offer: 7.8%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$443.5M24%
Department of Veterans Affairs$302M16%
Defense Logistics Agency$176.5M9.4%
Department of the Air Force$168.8M9.0%
Department of the Navy$91.6M4.9%
U.S. Customs and Border Protection$88.7M4.7%
Department of State$69.4M3.7%
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement$68.5M3.7%

Top recipients

TRIWEST HEALTHCARE ALLIANCE CORP$288.5M15%
ASRC BUILDERS-CADDELL, LLC$130M7.0%
PETRO STAR INC.$106.4M5.7%
UNIT COMPANY$101.4M5.4%
PARAGON PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LLC$68.1M3.6%

Spending by fiscal year

920.3MFY2017
1BFY2018
1.3BFY2019
926.7MFY2020
1.1BFY2021
1.8BFY2022
2.2BFY2023
2.1B

Top industries (NAICS)

Insurance agencies, brokerages, and related activities · 5242$288.4M15%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$267.5M14%
Investigation and security services · 5616$176M9.4%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$164M8.8%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$130.1M7.0%

Part of this section could not be loaded in time.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Anchorage, Alaska, so they do not add up across cities.

Anchorage, Alaska's figures are part of those of Anchorage Municipality, AK ($1.9B in FY2026), never added to them: 99.9% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Anchorage is mostly in Anchorage Municipality.

See federal money in Anchorage Municipality

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Anchorage, Alaska is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Nicholas J. Begich IIIR-AK · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 0.9%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Anchorage Municipality71100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Anchorage, AK67

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0203000

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends