Census-designated place · Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska

Steele Creek, Alaska

Steele Creek is a census-designated place in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, part of the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area. It has 5,928 residents. Steele Creek, Alaska has a quality-of-life score of 77 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,618 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Alaska it ranks #10 of 71 cities and towns. It ranks best on dentists (high), income inequality (Gini index) (low) and mental health providers (high). It ranks worst on distance to an emergency room (high), students per teacher (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).

77High

Quality-of-life score: #3,618 of 15,651 cities and towns
Alaska: #10 of 71 in AK
Population: 5,928 (2020-2024)
Land area: 93 mi²
Density: 63.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 0272985

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 65 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety15#13,318/15,637
Economy94#872/15,631
Housing83#2,505/14,977
Health59#6,362/15,609
Healthcare52#7,563/15,650
Environment—
Education68#4,976/15,649
Infrastructure94#898/15,650
Community52#7,482/15,651
Leisure & amenities72#4,326/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Steele Creek, Alaska ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Fairbanks North Star Borough 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 · high142 /100k
100/100Alaska 106 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFairbanks North Star Borough value
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.304
99/100Alaska 0.433United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Mental health providers · high877 /100k
98/100Alaska 802 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFairbanks North Star Borough value
High school diploma or higher · high95.3%
97/100Alaska 93.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Broadband subscriptions · high98.1%
96/100Alaska 91.9%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Preventable hospital stays · low1,583 /100k
95/100Alaska 2,100 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFairbanks North Star Borough value

Weaknesses

Distance to an emergency room · high185.5 mi
0/100Alaska 46.0 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesFairbanks North Star Borough value
Students per teacher · high23.2×
0/100Alaska 19.0×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsFairbanks North Star Borough value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high1,398 mi
1/100Alaska 1,315 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauFairbanks North Star Borough value
Firearm deaths · high30.6 /100k
2/100Alaska 26.2 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataFairbanks North Star Borough value
Pharmacies · low0.3 /10k
2/100Alaska 0.6 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFairbanks North Star Borough value
Suicide rate · high26.4 /100k
7/100Alaska 30.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataFairbanks North Star Borough value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
7,704 (2015-2019) → 5,928 (2020-2024)
−23%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
66.2% (2015-2019) → 50.5% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
85.9% (2015-2019) → 98.1% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Unemployment rateImproving
10.4% (2015-2019) → 0.5% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Income inequality (Gini index)Improving
0.415 (2015-2019) → 0.304 (2020-2024)
−27%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483
Median household incomeImproving
$99,382 (2015-2019) → $121,364 (2020-2024)
+22%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Steele Creek, Alaska improved on 3 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 7 moved within the margin of error and 0 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.

Improved3

Inequality−0.1110.415 → 0.304
Broadband+12 points85.9% → 98.1%
Household income+22%$99,382 → $121,364

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Steele Creek, Alaska between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.9 min2015-2019	27.7 min2020-2024	+4.8 min	Within the margin of error	11%
Bachelor's degree or higher	31.2%2015-2019	35.3%2020-2024	+4 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Broadband subscriptions	85.9%2015-2019	98.1%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	70%
Effective property tax rate	1.04%2015-2019	1.09%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	10%
High school diploma or higher	96.8%2015-2019	95.3%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	2.9×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	70%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4152015-2019	0.3042020-2024	−0.111	Improved	97%
Median household income	$99,3822015-2019	$121,3642020-2024	+22%	Improved	37%
Rent as share of income	32.5%2015-2019	35.3%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.2%2015-2019	7.6%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	22%

“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 Steele Creek, Alaska five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Steele Creek, 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, Steele Creek, Alaska itself moved +2.3 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

5,928 residents (±1,252)

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

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

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

Race and Hispanic origin

5,928 residents (±1,252)

Steele Creek, Alaska
Alaska share

White84%4,970
Black1.5%†90
Hispanic or Latino1.3%†78

Education

4,047 residents (±711)

Steele Creek, Alaska
Alaska share

No high school diploma4.7%†189
High school or GED25%†994
Some college24%†

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

2,196 households (±379)

Steele Creek, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $25k4.8%†105
$25k–50k3.3%†72
$50k–75k15%†336
$75k–100k11%†236
$100k–150k33%†723
$150k–200k19%†416
$200k or more14%†308

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+15.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

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

2,196 households (±379)

Steele Creek, Alaska
Alaska share

Own90%1,970
Rent10%†226

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

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

Rent paid

198 households (±106)

Steele Creek, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,00017%†34
$1,000–1,50037%†73

Home values

1,970 homes (±372)

Steele Creek, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $150k4.8%†95
$150k–250k27%†523
$250k–400k30%†594

Age of homes

2,669 homes (±418)

Steele Creek, Alaska
Alaska share

2010 or later15%†410
2000–200928%†758
1980–199934%†906

Size of homes

2,669 homes (±418)

Steele Creek, Alaska
Alaska share

Studio5.6%†150
1 bedroom15%†391
2 bedrooms22%†600

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

3,102 workers (±817)

Steele Creek, Alaska
Alaska share

Drive alone68%†2,102
Carpool16%†481
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.4%†42
Bike0.0%0
Work from home11%†349
Other4.1%†128

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−17.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

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

Time to get to work

2,753 workers (±775)

Steele Creek, Alaska
Alaska share

Under 15 min9.4%†260
15–29 min60%†1,657
30–44 min21%†581

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 Fairbanks-College, 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough, the county holding most of Steele Creek's residents.

Fairbanks North Star Borough has 2,576 employer establishments, 269 for every 10,000 residents (1.08× the US rate of 248; 0.89× Alaska's), with 26,009 paid employees at an average annual pay of $65,420. The Census Bureau also counts 6,898 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,576; 6,898 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 269; US 248 · Alaska 302
Paid employees: 26,009
Average annual pay: $65,420; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Fairbanks North Star Borough by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	213	22.3	1.07×About typical	1,780	$90,368	248
Specialty trade contractors	205	21.4	1.38×More than typical	1,054	$106,404	291
Restaurants and other eating places	168	17.6	0.96×About typical	2,612	$24,564	43
Lessors of real estate	158	16.5	1.34×More than typical	417	$74,285	678
Construction of buildings	108	11.3	1.49×More than typical	591	$79,036	173
Offices of other health practitioners	87	9.1	1.50×More than typical	377	$62,509	155
Building equipment contractors	79	8.3	1.37×More than typical	583	$111,453	52
Services to buildings and dwellings	75	7.8	1.16×About typical	268	$41,582	365
Full-service restaurants	70	7.3	0.95×About typical	923	$33,795	12
Real estate agents and brokers	69	7.2	1.48×More than typical	69	$63,783	120
Truck transportation	68	7.1	1.40×More than typical	743	$81,498	120
Automotive repair and maintenance	61	6.4	1.27×More than typical	402	$57,321	74

Rank places for an industry Open Fairbanks North Star Borough

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 95,718 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 $439 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Steele Creek, Alaska: $0.07 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $439; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.07; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 100%; 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

Top recipients

AMERICAN MECHANICAL INC$10.9K100%
STEVEN KAHLE ARCHITECTS, INC$2,470100%
AHTNA BUILDERS, LLC$2,033100%
SIEMENS INDUSTRY INC$1,153100%
JOHNSON CONTROLS FIRE PROTECTION LP$1,142100%

Spending by fiscal year

22.9KFY2017
52.8KFY2018
26.5KFY2019
81.7KFY2020
136.5KFY2021
168KFY2022
102.8KFY2023
40.9KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$2,470100%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$2,033100%
Facilities support services · 5612$1,142100%
Nonscheduled air transportation · 4812$939100%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$841100%
Communications equipment manufacturing · 3342

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 Steele Creek, Alaska, so they do not add up across cities.

Steele Creek, Alaska's figures are part of those of Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK ($386.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Steele Creek is mostly in Fairbanks North Star Borough.

See federal money in Fairbanks North Star Borough

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.

Steele Creek, 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.

Fairbanks North Star Borough70100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Fairbanks-College, AK74

Other cities and towns in Fairbanks North Star Borough

Largest first.

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
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/0272985

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends