Most Americans have never been to small town Alaska. However, as the Alaskan who live there know, small town Alaska is an awesome place to call home.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Alaska has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Last Frontier. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.
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:
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
These are the worst small towns in Alaska for 2024:
- Alakanuk
- Emmonak
- Susitna North
- Anchor Point
- Houston
- Tok
- Quinhagak
- Willow
- King Cove
- Kotlik
So what is the worst small town to call home in Alaska for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Alakanuk is the worst small town to live in Alaska.
While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Alakanuk home. Everyone
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 2024
1. Alakanuk
/10
Population: 1,138
Median Home Value: $93,434
Median Income: $41,875
Unemployment Rate: 27.5%
2. Emmonak
/10
Population: 1,293
Median Home Value: $117,837
Median Income: $45,655
Unemployment Rate: 17.5%
3. Susitna North
/10
Population: 1,543
Median Home Value: $229,409
Median Income: $38,323
Unemployment Rate: 14.1%
4. Anchor Point
/10
Population: 2,260
Median Home Value: $244,975
Median Income: $58,357
Unemployment Rate: 10.5%
5. Houston
/10
Population: 1,613
Median Home Value: $236,883
Median Income: $53,750
Unemployment Rate: 12.6%
6. Tok
/10
Population: 1,352
Median Home Value: $214,129
Median Income: $45,156
Unemployment Rate: 8.6%
7. Quinhagak
Population: 1,079
Median Home Value: $21,984
Median Income: $42,083
Unemployment Rate: 25.3%
8. Willow
/10
Population: 1,952
Median Home Value: $224,172
Median Income: $71,536
Unemployment Rate: 7.9%
9. King Cove
/10
Population: 1,108
Median Home Value: $129,928
Median Income: $79,844
Unemployment Rate: 6.9%
10. Kotlik
/10
Population: 1,272
Median Home Value: $56,170
Median Income: $42,344
Unemployment Rate: 22.4%
Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Alaska is lousy or not?
To rank the worst small towns to live in Alaska, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.
We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.
Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2018-2022 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 many – 49 to be exact.
We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Alaska.
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.
The worst small towns in Alaska are Alakanuk, Emmonak, Susitna North, Anchor Point, Houston, Tok, Quinhagak, Willow, King Cove, and Kotlik.
If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Alaska, according to science:
- North Pole (Pop. 2,816)
- Ridgeway (Pop. 2,749)
- Farmers Loop (Pop. 4,179)
For more Alaska reading, check out:
Worst Small Towns In Alaska
| Rank | Town | Population | Unemployment Rate | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alakanuk | 1,138 | 27.5% | $93,434 | $41,875 |
| 2 | Emmonak | 1,293 | 17.5% | $117,837 | $45,655 |
| 3 | Susitna North | 1,543 | 14.1% | $229,409 | $38,323 |
| 4 | Anchor Point | 2,260 | 10.5% | $244,975 | $58,357 |
| 5 | Houston | 1,613 | 12.6% | $236,883 | $53,750 |
| 6 | Tok | 1,352 | 8.6% | $214,129 | $45,156 |
| 7 | Quinhagak | 1,079 | 25.3% | $21,984 | $42,083 |
| 8 | Willow | 1,952 | 7.9% | $224,172 | $71,536 |
| 9 | King Cove | 1,108 | 6.9% | $129,928 | $79,844 |
| 10 | Kotlik | 1,272 | 22.4% | $56,170 | $42,344 |
| 11 | Cohoe | 1,520 | 11.2% | $236,883 | $60,341 |
| 12 | Funny River | 1,072 | 5.1% | $248,535 | $61,162 |
| 13 | Wrangell | 2,134 | 3.4% | $277,682 | $61,000 |
| 14 | Sutton-Alpine | 1,323 | 13.2% | $240,621 | $71,058 |
| 15 | Point Mackenzie | 1,707 | 7.3% | $333,945 | $92,125 |
| 16 | Metlakatla | 1,437 | 12.0% | $180,163 | $78,750 |
| 17 | Nikiski | 4,405 | 4.8% | $320,095 | $59,809 |
| 18 | Craig | 1,073 | 5.7% | $254,031 | $66,146 |
| 19 | Salamatof | 1,189 | 31.8% | $316,028 | $63,750 |
| 20 | Sand Point | 1,048 | 3.2% | $234,905 | $79,922 |
| 21 | Talkeetna | 1,044 | 4.2% | $244,613 | $79,091 |
| 22 | Kotzebue | 3,088 | 5.7% | $276,895 | $101,071 |
| 23 | Dillingham | 2,175 | 7.1% | $316,028 | $92,578 |
| 24 | Big Lake | 3,232 | 6.3% | $303,277 | $77,292 |
| 25 | Cordova | 2,507 | 12.1% | $342,401 | $79,526 |
| 26 | Eielson Afb | 3,071 | 15.6% | $0 | $65,139 |
| 27 | Deltana | 2,059 | 3.2% | $294,263 | $105,250 |
| 28 | Soldotna | 4,394 | 5.6% | $325,383 | $67,365 |
| 29 | Valdez | 3,935 | 6.5% | $291,208 | $89,255 |
| 30 | Delta Junction | 1,126 | 4.1% | $317,400 | $80,556 |
| 31 | Ester | 2,989 | 3.5% | $286,129 | $72,917 |
| 32 | Womens Bay | 1,063 | 4.1% | $488,167 | $121,250 |
| 33 | Unalaska | 4,342 | 3.3% | $477,285 | $104,706 |
| 34 | Lazy Mountain | 1,639 | 6.4% | $362,965 | $97,750 |
| 35 | Fritz Creek | 2,163 | 3.9% | $340,651 | $78,125 |
| 36 | Haines | 1,762 | 5.4% | $281,763 | $69,612 |
| 37 | Seward | 2,768 | 4.8% | $340,623 | $77,850 |
| 38 | Skagway | 1,179 | 11.4% | $464,864 | $88,000 |
| 39 | Prudhoe Bay | 1,986 | 0.9% | $0 | $1,000 |
| 40 | Bear Creek | 1,283 | 0.0% | $329,768 | $70,156 |
| 41 | Diamond Ridge | 1,397 | 2.3% | $329,727 | $91,923 |
| 42 | Nome | 3,710 | 8.4% | $366,373 | $103,542 |
| 43 | Goldstream | 2,798 | 4.0% | $303,607 | $86,724 |
| 44 | Kodiak Station | 2,113 | 0.0% | $0 | $94,205 |
| 45 | Butte | 3,752 | 4.4% | $326,581 | $102,171 |
| 46 | Farm Loop | 2,561 | 7.8% | $386,379 | $112,683 |
| 47 | North Pole | 2,816 | 3.8% | $302,858 | $91,583 |
| 48 | Ridgeway | 2,749 | 6.7% | $329,768 | $101,188 |
| 49 | Farmers Loop | 4,179 | 3.7% | $318,556 | $100,638 |