County · Alaska
Denali Borough, Alaska
Denali Borough, Alaska has a quality-of-life score of 69 out of 100 (high), ranking #966 of 3,143 US counties. Within Alaska it ranks #12 of 30 counties. It ranks best on arts, entertainment and recreation (high), public EV charging ports (high) and effective property tax rate (low). It ranks worst on students per teacher (high), distance to an emergency room (high) and severe housing problems (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #966 of 3,143 counties
- Alaska
- #12 of 30 in AK
- Population
- 1,616 (2025)
- Land area
- 12,640 mi²
- Density
- 0.1 /mi²
- FIPS code
- 02068
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 62 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.
- Safety—
- Economy92#251/3,143
- Housing75#788/3,140
- Health67#1,036/3,144
- Healthcare22#2,459/3,143
- Environment—
- Education57#1,358/3,144
- Infrastructure67#1,053/3,144
- Community36#1,999/3,144
- Leisure & amenities94#180/3,143
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Denali Borough, Alaska ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Arts, entertainment and recreation · high99.0 /10k
- Public EV charging ports · high111.4 /10k
- Effective property tax rate · low0.14%100/100Alaska 0.94%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census BureauCensus table B25090High uncertainty
- Grocery stores · high12.4 /10k
- Traffic deaths · low0.0 /100k100/100Alaska 9.4 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional data
- Income adjusted for local prices · high$139,702
Weaknesses
- Students per teacher · high41.3×
- Distance to an emergency room · high154.8 mi
- Severe housing problems · high27.4%
- Distance to an Amtrak station · high1,392 mi1/100Alaska 1,315 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau
- Drug overdose deaths · high0.0 /100k2/100Alaska 40.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
- Social associations · low0.0 /10k
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Job growthWorsening
41.2% (2021) → -0.5% (2026 Q1)
−42 pts5 yearsUS 3.4% → 0.1%
- Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
44.4% (2010 & 2021) → 72.0% (2022 & 2024)
+28 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
- Some collegeWorsening
63.5% (2016-2020) → 41.2% (2019-2023)
−22 pts3 yearsUS 66.9% → 67.8%
- Traffic deathsImproving
68.1 /100k (2015-2019) → 0.0 /100k (2020-2024)
−100%5 yearsUS 11.3 /100k → 12.3 /100k
- Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
41.1% (2015-2019) → 26.6% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
- Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
14.1% (2015-2019) → 25.9% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
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.
Counties like Denali Borough, Alaska five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Denali Borough, 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
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.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Public money & outcomes
Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.
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.
Cities and towns in Denali Borough
Places whose residents live mostly in Denali Borough, largest first.
Neighboring counties
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar counties
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Chugach Census Area, AK94Alike on Mental distress, July high, Inactivity
- Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK66Alike on Amtrak, July high, Inactivity
- Copper River Census Area, AK70Alike on Density, Avg temperature, Rent / income
- Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK33Alike on July high, Amtrak, Avg temperature
- Carbon County, WY76Alike on Commute, Food environment, Restaurants
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
- Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-03
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- 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
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement