Best Places99550, AK Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 99550, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
99550 ranks 27,107th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 99550
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
99550's strengths and weaknesses
Where 99550 ranks high
- Short commute2.7 minutes each way, better than 99% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
Where 99550 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 39 pleasant days a year, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 99550
A household needs to earn about $41,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 99550 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $39,773; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 99550's effective rate of 0.72%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 99550
99550 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 99550.
Who works in 99550, and how
Work in 99550 centers on public administration and health care & social. Unemployment runs well above the national rate.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 54%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 33%
Life in 99550
The coast is about 8 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 99550, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 99550, month by month
99550 sees roughly 39 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 64 degrees. January highs sit near 38, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs July and August.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 32° | 26° |
| April | 46° | 39° | 32° |
| July | 64° | 57° | 50° |
| October | 51° | 44° | 37° |
Flying in and out of 99550
The nearest airport, Kodiak, is about 17 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Ted Stevens Anchorage International, about 249 miles away.
The best schools in and around 99550
Schools across 99550 average a B+, better than 72% of zip codes.
Top high schools
- AkteachA− · 50% proficient
- Port Lions SchoolC− · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 99550 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
99550 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 99550 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 99550
Is 99550 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 99550 ranks 27,107th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, clean air, and heat safety, and lowest on the weather and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 99550 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $158,300. The overall cost of living runs about 30% above the national average. Set against a $39,773 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 99550 safe?
99550 is safer than 10% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $957 per resident a year.
Compare 99550 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 99550. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 99550 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
99550 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 99550: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 99550: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 99550: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 99550: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
99550 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.