The 10 Worst Small Towns In Alaska For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which teeny specks in AK are the pits.

Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst small places to live in Alaska.

Most Americans have never been to Alaska. However, as the people who live there know, Alaska is an awesome state.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Alaska has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Last Frontier. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.

After analyzing more than 49 of Alaska's smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Alaska where you'd never want to live:

So what is the worst small town to call home in Alaska for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Alakanuk is the worst small town to live in Alaska.

Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since Alaska has its stuff figured out.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Alaska or the worst places to live in Alaska.

If you're looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Alaska For 2022

1. Alakanuk

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,063
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $111,400 (4th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 31.9% (2nd worst)
More on Alakanuk:  Data

2. Emmonak

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,065
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $111,400 (4th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 26.0% (3rd worst)
More on Emmonak:  Data

3. Funny River

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,340
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 4)
Median Home Value: $170,400 (8th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 23.2% (4th worst)
More on Funny River:  Data

4. Mountain Village

Source: Public Domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,055
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $23,600 (worst)
Unemployment Rate: 21.9% (5th worst)
More on Mountain Village:  Data

5. Willow

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,956
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $188,000 (12th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.6% (22nd worst)
More on Willow:  Data

6. Sutton-Alpine

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,343
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 3)
Median Home Value: $190,100 (14th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 12.2% (12th worst)
More on Sutton-Alpine:  Data

7. Susitna North

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,271
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $196,600 (15th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 16.6% (6th worst)
More on Susitna North:  Data

8. Anchor Point

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,247
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 6)
Median Home Value: $190,000 (13th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 12.2% (13th worst)
More on Anchor Point:  Data

9. Kotlik

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,252
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $70,700 (2nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 16.2% (8th worst)
More on Kotlik:  Data

10. Metlakatla

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,582
Rank Last Year: 9 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $159,600 (6th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 15.3% (9th worst)
More on Metlakatla:  Data

How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?

In order to rank the worst small towns to live in Alaska, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.

So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

How we determined the worst small towns to live in Alaska for 2022

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (The lower the worse)
  • Highest Unemployment Rates
  • Low housing costs (meaning there's no demand)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
  • Education (Number of high school dropouts)
  • High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 49 to be exact.

Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.

There You Have It - The Worst Small Towns In Alaska

If you're analyzing teeny places in the Last Frontier with the worst economic situations, where there's high crime and there's not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Alaska, according to science:

  1. Prudhoe Bay (Pop. 1,416)
  2. Farm Loop (Pop. 2,637)
  3. Kodiak Station (Pop. 1,789)

For more Alaska reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Alaska

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Alakanuk 1,063 31.9% $111,400
2 Emmonak 1,065 26.0% $111,400
3 Funny River 1,340 23.2% $170,400
4 Mountain Village 1,055 21.9% $23,600
5 Willow 1,956 9.6% $188,000
6 Sutton-Alpine 1,343 12.2% $190,100
7 Susitna North 1,271 16.6% $196,600
8 Anchor Point 2,247 12.2% $190,000
9 Kotlik 1,252 16.2% $70,700
10 Metlakatla 1,582 15.3% $159,600
11 Cohoe 1,469 9.9% $196,900
12 King Cove 1,147 5.7% $108,300
13 Houston 1,952 16.4% $178,000
14 Big Lake 2,769 10.5% $229,200
15 Wrangell 2,510 6.0% $221,700
16 Point Mackenzie 1,323 7.1% $243,800
17 Nikiski 4,324 9.4% $239,800
18 Tok 1,214 3.5% $171,600
19 Talkeetna 1,199 11.0% $198,600
20 Delta Junction 1,182 6.2% $216,800
21 Craig 1,206 7.2% $228,300
22 Sand Point 1,186 4.8% $181,900
23 Lazy Mountain 1,644 9.7% $268,600
24 Salamatof 1,025 32.1% $271,300
25 Kotzebue 3,283 5.7% $239,700
26 Deltana 2,131 10.8% $227,000
27 Dillingham 2,065 6.2% $266,500
28 Fritz Creek 2,034 8.0% $303,900
29 Ester 2,174 4.6% $252,900
30 Fishhook 4,759 12.3% $321,100
31 Bear Creek 1,287 6.4% $230,100
32 Nome 3,869 11.6% $266,800
33 Valdez 3,865 3.4% $168,900
34 Soldotna 4,705 2.2% $219,200
35 Skagway 1,191 9.9% $353,700
36 Healy 1,096 6.3% $262,300
37 Goldstream 3,315 8.6% $237,800
38 Seward 2,812 4.1% $251,700
39 Haines 1,905 11.5% $263,800
40 Eielson Afb 3,388 13.4% $1,000
41 Ridgeway 2,631 8.3% $268,100
42 Unalaska 4,758 4.2% $403,200
43 Butte 3,888 5.4% $270,000
44 Cordova 2,248 0.9% $341,100
45 North Pole 2,969 7.6% $222,400
46 Diamond Ridge 1,336 3.0% $281,700
47 Prudhoe Bay 1,416 0.8% $1,000
48 Farm Loop 2,637 8.1% $301,600
49 Kodiak Station 1,789 0.0% $1,000

How Is The Area In ?

About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.