Should I Move To
Roughly 290,674 people live in Anchorage, Alaska. Living here costs moderate relative to the rest of the country, 8% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,405/mo; the typical household pulls in $95,731. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 40/100 — a D, putting it at #800 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Anchorage sits at 108 — moderate when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,405/mo against $95,731 median household income), housing eats roughly 18% of a typical paycheck — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Buying-side, the median home value is $363,800.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is cold-winter: roughly 65°F in summer, 13°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 16 inches. Almost entirely car-dependent. Sidewalks exist; they just don't connect to where you need to go. Crime runs notably high by national standards. As always, neighborhood-level data tells a more nuanced story than the citywide figure. AQI runs about 24 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Anchorage isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 34/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (99/100); the soft spot is walkability (0/100).
For retirees, Anchorage isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 27/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (99/100); the soft spot is walkability (0/100).
For remote workers, Anchorage isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 35/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (99/100); the soft spot is walkability (0/100).
For young professionals, Anchorage isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 33/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (99/100); the soft spot is walkability (0/100).
Our overall score for Anchorage is 40/100 — a D, sitting at #800 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Anchorage sits at 108 — moderate, 8% above the national average. Median renter pays around $1,405 a month.
Anchorage runs cold-winter on the weather. Summer's near 65°F, winter's near 13°F; 16 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 0/100. Almost entirely car-dependent. Sidewalks exist; they just don't connect to where you need to go.
Roughly 290,674 people live here, with 37% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 35.
Drop Anchorage into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Take the 2-minute UrbRank quiz to get a personalized ranking of US cities based on your priorities — cost, climate, commute, jobs, and more.