Best Places99603, AK Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 99603, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
99603 ranks 11,870th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 99603
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.
99603's strengths and weaknesses
Where 99603 ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Short commute16.1 minutes each way, better than 95% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 99603 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 53 pleasant days a year, better than only 2% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 99603
A household needs to earn about $94,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 99603 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $81,383, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 99603's effective rate of 0.62%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 99603
99603's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 99603.
Who works in 99603, and how
Work in 99603 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is close to the national rate.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 75%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in 99603
99603 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 87% of zip codes. The coast is about 6 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 99603 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 99603, month by month
99603 sees roughly 53 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 64 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs July and August.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 27° | 20° |
| April | 47° | 40° | 31° |
| July | 64° | 57° | 49° |
| October | 49° | 42° | 34° |
Flying in and out of 99603
The nearest airport, Homer, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Ted Stevens Anchorage International, about 116 miles away.
The best schools in and around 99603
Schools across 99603 average a B+, better than 73% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Fireweed AcademyA− · 60% proficient
- Mcneil Canyon ElementaryB+ · 53% proficient
- West Homer ElementaryB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Homer Middle SchoolA− · 53% proficient
Top high schools
- Homer High SchoolB · 50% proficient
- River City AcademyB · 50% proficient
- Homer Flex SchoolB · 50% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 99603 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
99603 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 99603 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 99603
Is 99603 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 99603 ranks 11,870th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on heat safety, clean air, and low taxes, and lowest on the weather and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 99603 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $368,232. The overall cost of living runs about 41% above the national average. Set against a $81,383 median income, cost of living beats 11% of zip codes.
Is 99603 safe?
Yes, 99603 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $454 per resident a year.
Compare 99603 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 99603. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 99603 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.
99603 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 99603: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 99603: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 99603: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 99603: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
99603 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.