City · Chugach Census Area, Alaska

Valdez, Alaska

Valdez is a city in Chugach Census Area, Alaska. It has 3,847 residents. Valdez, Alaska has a quality-of-life score of 92 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,320 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Alaska it ranks #1 of 71 cities and towns. It ranks best on arts, entertainment and recreation (high), average commute time (low) and primary care physicians (high). It ranks worst on pharmacies (low), distance to an Amtrak station (high) and distance to an emergency room (high).

92Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,320 of 15,651 cities and towns
Alaska: #1 of 71 in AK
Population: 3,847 (2020-2024)
Land area: 212 mi²
Density: 18.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 0282200

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 52 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.

Safety—
Economy79#3,340/15,631
Housing85#2,173/14,977
Health79#3,284/15,609
Healthcare23#11,986/15,650
Environment—
Education88#1,868/15,649
Infrastructure89#1,795/15,650
Community85#2,364/15,651
Leisure & amenities88#1,893/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Valdez, Alaska ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Chugach Census Area 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

Arts, entertainment and recreation · high32.0 /10k
100/100Alaska 9.1 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsChugach Census Area value
Average commute time · low10.5 min
100/100Alaska 19.4 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Primary care physicians · high146 /100k
99/100Alaska 96 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChugach Census Area value
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100Alaska 0%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAChugach Census Area value
Restaurants and bars · high18.3 /10k
98/100Alaska 8.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsChugach Census Area value
High school diploma or higher · high96.4%
97/100Alaska 93.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Pharmacies · low0.0 /10k
1/100Alaska 0.6 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsChugach Census Area value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high1,204 mi
1/100Alaska 1,315 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauChugach Census Area value
Distance to an emergency room · high20.5 mi
3/100Alaska 46.0 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesChugach Census Area value
Distance to an airport · high130 mi
4/100Alaska 131 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauChugach Census Area value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Alaska 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsChugach Census Area value
Unemployment rate · high10.1%
9/100Alaska 4.7%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
57.8% (2015-2019) → 32.9% (2020-2024)
−25 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.8% (2015-2019) → 98.3% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
2.3 /1k (2021) → 0.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−66%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.0× (2015-2019) → 3.2× (2020-2024)
+59%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Unemployment rateWorsening
1.9% (2015-2019) → 10.1% (2020-2024)
+8.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
31.7% (2015-2019) → 24.6% (2020-2024)
−7.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, Valdez, Alaska improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 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.

Improved1

Broadband+20 points77.8% → 98.3%

Declined1

Price / income+1.2×2.0× → 3.2×

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Valdez, Alaska between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	10.7 min2015-2019	10.5 min2020-2024	−0.1 min	Within the margin of error	49%
Bachelor's degree or higher	34.1%2015-2019	31.9%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Broadband subscriptions	77.8%2015-2019	98.3%2020-2024	+20 points	Improved	91%
Effective property tax rate	1.09%2015-2019	1.10%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	15%
High school diploma or higher	97.1%2015-2019	96.4%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+1.2×	Declined	16%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4292015-2019	0.3802020-2024	−0.049	Within the margin of error	83%
Median household income	$85,0852015-2019	$99,2712020-2024	+17%	Within the margin of error	27%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	31.7%2015-2019	24.6%2020-2024	−7.1 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Rent-burdened households	57.8%2015-2019	32.9%2020-2024	−25 points	Within the margin of error	96%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.0%2015-2019	13.4%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	65%

“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 Valdez, Alaska five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Valdez, 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, Valdez, Alaska itself moved +14.4 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

3,847 residents (±29)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

1,672 households (±147)

Valdez, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $25k8.7%†146
$25k–50k12%†197
$50k–75k12%

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,672 households (±147)

Valdez, Alaska
Alaska share

Own65%1,091
Rent35%581

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−14.5 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,028 workers (±155)

Valdez, Alaska
Alaska share

Drive alone75%1,528
Carpool9.0%†183
Public transit0.0%0

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 Chugach Census Area, the county holding most of Valdez's residents.

Chugach Census Area has 379 employer establishments, 564 for every 10,000 residents (2.27× the US rate of 248; 1.87× Alaska's), with 2,076 paid employees at an average annual pay of $85,728. The Census Bureau also counts 902 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 379; 902 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 564; US 248 · Alaska 302
Paid employees: 2,076
Average annual pay: $85,728; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Chugach Census Area by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	23	34.3	1.86×More than typical	78	$41,654	7
Traveler accommodation	17	25.3	14.0×More than typical	157	$40,140	17
Specialty trade contractors	16	23.8	1.54×More than typical	58	$55,569	31
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	15	22.3	8.40×More than typical	121	$22,694	4
Other amusement and recreation industries	15	22.3	9.21×More than typical	121	$22,694	3
Ambulatory health care services	12	17.9	0.86×About typical	76	$38,513	22
Food manufacturing	11	16.4	17.7×More than typical	87	$363,322	4
Full-service restaurants	9	13.4	1.75×Too few to compare	51	$43,314	3
Building equipment contractors	8	11.9	1.98×Too few to compare	11	$72,000	8
Lessors of real estate	8	11.9	0.97×Too few to compare	9	$28,889	47
Snack and non-alcoholic beverage bars	8	11.9	4.71×Too few to compare	26	$26,731	—
RV parks and recreational camps	7	10.4	44.0×Too few to compare	3	$201,333	—

Rank places for an industry Open Chugach Census Area

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 6,715 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 $430.6K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Valdez, Alaska: $112 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $430.6K; −38% vs FY2025
Per resident: $112; US $1,994
Sole-source: 87%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.3%; 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

U.S. Coast Guard$395.7K92%
U.S. Special Operations Command$31.3K7.3%
Bureau of Land Management$3,2500.8%
Forest Service$1,2470.3%
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$9520.2%
Department of the Army$4300.1%

Top recipients

REGAL MOUNTAIN SERVICES, LLC$359.3K83%
HOC SERVICES, INC.$31.3K7.3%
YUKON FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES, INC.$12.4K2.9%
GLENCHOICE MANAGEMENT LLC$8,0521.9%
ALASKA MARINE RESPONSE LLC$6,5601.5%

Spending by fiscal year

281.7KFY2017
247.3KFY2018
340.2KFY2019
120.1KFY2020
125.6KFY2021
1.3MFY2022
365KFY2023
859.8K

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$363.7K84%
Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment rental and leasing · 5324$31.3K7.3%
Investigation and security services · 5616$12.4K2.9%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$9,9322.3%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$7,8071.8%
Other amusement and recreation industries · 7139

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 Valdez, Alaska, so they do not add up across cities.

Valdez, Alaska's figures are part of those of Chugach Census Area, AK ($10.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 4.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Valdez is mostly in Chugach Census Area.

See federal money in Chugach Census Area

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.

Valdez, 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.

Chugach Census Area94100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Chugach Census Area

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
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/0282200

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends