Anchorage’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Anchorage.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Alaska thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Anchorage. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Anchorage neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Anchorage hoods need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Anchorage area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although South Addition ranks way above the rest.
We examined 31 of Anchorage’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live. These places don’t quite measure up to Anchorage’s reputation.
Table Of Contents: Top 10 | Methodology | Summary | Table
So what’s the worst neighborhood to live in Anchorage for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Midtown looks to be the worst neighborhood in Anchorage.
Read on to see how we determined the places around Anchorage that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.
For more Alaska reading, check out:
The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Anchorage For 2024
/10
Population: 3,641
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,821
Property Crime Per 100k: 5,178
Median Home Value: $222,733 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $51,280 (2nd worst)
More on Midtown: Data
/10
Population: 8,350
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,910
Property Crime Per 100k: 5,430
Median Home Value: $188,120 (worst)
Median Income: $43,934 (worst)
More on Mountain View: Data
/10
Population: 1,304
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,597
Property Crime Per 100k: 4,542
Median Home Value: $293,067 (11th worst)
Median Income: $62,589 (4th worst)
More on Downtown: Data
/10
Population: 1,754
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,749
Property Crime Per 100k: 4,972
Median Home Value: $318,900 (16th worst)
Median Income: $70,387 (8th worst)
More on Government Hill: Data
/10
Population: 5,724
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,504
Property Crime Per 100k: 4,277
Median Home Value: $272,000 (9th worst)
Median Income: $53,634 (3rd worst)
More on Fairview: Data
/10
Population: 11,168
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,552
Property Crime Per 100k: 4,414
Median Home Value: $238,620 (5th worst)
Median Income: $67,594 (6th worst)
More on Spenard: Data
/10
Population: 6,648
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,479
Property Crime Per 100k: 4,204
Median Home Value: $235,557 (4th worst)
Median Income: $65,031 (5th worst)
More on Airport Heights: Data
/10
Population: 12,502
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,648
Property Crime Per 100k: 4,687
Median Home Value: $235,414 (3rd worst)
Median Income: $69,792 (7th worst)
More on Russian Jack Park: Data
/10
Population: 8,117
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,360
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,867
Median Home Value: $311,000 (15th worst)
Median Income: $81,927 (13th worst)
More on Campbell Park: Data
/10
Population: 29,207
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,492
Property Crime Per 100k: 4,244
Median Home Value: $242,288 (6th worst)
Median Income: $79,226 (11th worst)
More on Northeast: Data
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Anchorage neighborhoods in 2024
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Anchorage:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Anchorage, Alaska for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Anchorage.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024. This report is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in Anchorage.
Skip to the end to see the list of all 31 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Anchorage
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Anchorage with Midtown landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Anchorage are Midtown, Mountain View, Downtown, Government Hill, Fairview, Spenard, Airport Heights, Russian Jack Park, Campbell Park, and Northeast.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Anchorage aren’t all bad. South Addition takes the cake as the best place to live in Anchorage.
The best neighborhoods in Anchorage are South Addition, Hillside East, Huffman-O’malley, Bear Valley, and Rabbit Creek.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
For more Alaska reading, check out:
Most Dangerous Neighborhoods To Live In Anchorage For 2024?
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midtown | 3,641 | $222,733 | $51,280 |
| 2 | Mountain View | 8,350 | $188,120 | $43,934 |
| 3 | Downtown | 1,304 | $293,067 | $62,589 |
| 4 | Government Hill | 1,754 | $318,900 | $70,387 |
| 5 | Fairview | 5,724 | $272,000 | $53,634 |
| 6 | Spenard | 11,168 | $238,620 | $67,594 |
| 7 | Airport Heights | 6,648 | $235,557 | $65,031 |
| 8 | Russian Jack Park | 12,502 | $235,414 | $69,792 |
| 9 | Campbell Park | 8,117 | $311,000 | $81,927 |
| 10 | Northeast | 29,207 | $242,288 | $79,226 |
| 11 | University Area | 10,255 | $301,157 | $74,236 |
| 12 | Taku-Campbell | 12,918 | $257,020 | $81,579 |
| 13 | Abbott Loop | 24,649 | $273,600 | $95,068 |
| 14 | Turnagain | 9,367 | $323,310 | $103,454 |
| 15 | North Star | 3,691 | $336,380 | $78,542 |
| 16 | Eagle River Valley | 11,556 | $343,671 | $109,729 |
| 17 | Sand Lake | 21,940 | $342,862 | $104,127 |
| 18 | Tudor Area | 1,446 | $300,300 | $85,888 |
| 19 | Scenic Foothills | 8,810 | $259,075 | $93,003 |
| 20 | Bayshore-Klatt | 9,225 | $319,600 | $108,222 |
| 21 | Eagle River | 26,608 | $363,758 | $105,078 |
| 22 | Chugiak | 2,826 | $406,100 | $105,429 |
| 23 | Rogers Park | 4,117 | $303,950 | $96,686 |
| 24 | Basher | 168 | $642,200 | $140,575 |
| 25 | South Fork | 227 | $423,500 | $153,194 |
| 26 | Old Seward-Oceanview | 6,100 | $320,867 | $122,159 |
| 27 | Rabbit Creek | 6,101 | $532,600 | $156,703 |
| 28 | Bear Valley | 200 | $532,600 | $114,682 |
| 29 | Huffman-O’malley | 10,122 | $391,000 | $138,832 |
| 30 | Hillside East | 146 | $642,200 | $209,150 |
| 31 | South Addition | 4,016 | $475,150 | $122,938 |