Anchorage, Alaska
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Anchorage.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Anchorage compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 289,069City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $98,152Incorporated place (ACS)25% above U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 116ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)16% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $375,900City limits (ACS)24% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,453City limits (ACS)8% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.5%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 20 min20% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 3131% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 1244.6annualized per 100k · citywide107% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 4261.3annualized per 100k · citywide38% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 67°F20.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 11°F23.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 14.2 in57% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 256Near U.S. avg (266)U.S. 266
Compare Anchorage with another city
Long summer daylight and long winter nights are part of the relocation calculus. Winter lows around 11°F mean heating costs and snow logistics belong on the checklist. Average one-way commute time is about 20 minutes, and Walk Score estimates land around 31/100. Labor-market readings near 3.5% unemployment are neither boom nor bust by national standards. FBI CDE violent-offense rates run comparatively high (~1244.6 per 100k annualized), so block-by-block due diligence is especially important.
Anchorage (pop. 289,069) sits in Alaska. With median income around $98,152 and a cost index of 116, the market reads above the national housing-cost baseline. Ownership is a high bar — typical values near $375,900 push many newcomers toward renting first.
Anchorage is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Anchorage with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Anchorage municipality, 1600000US0203000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN020200000000003 (Anchorage Municipality, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00026409 ANCHORAGE MERRILL FLD)
Last updated 2026-07-28