Best Places99721, AK Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 99721, 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.
99721 ranks 27,720th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 99721
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.
99721's strengths and weaknesses
Where 99721 ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Short commute5.7 minutes each way, better than 99% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of zip codes
Where 99721 ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- School gradeF, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 99721
A household needs to earn about $32,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 99721 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $85,529, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 99721's effective rate of 0.58%, 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 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 99721
99721 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 99721.
Who works in 99721, and how
Work in 99721 centers on mining & oil & gas and public administration. Unemployment runs well above the national rate.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 50%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 43%
Life in 99721
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 99721.
What the weather is like in 99721, month by month
99721 sees roughly 92 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 65 degrees. January highs sit near -1, with lows near -16. The comfortable stretch runs July.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | -1° | -8° | -16° |
| April | 23° | 11° | 0° |
| July | 65° | 55° | 44° |
| October | 26° | 18° | 11° |
Flying in and out of 99721
The nearest airport, Anaktuvuk Pass, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Ted Stevens Anchorage International, about 488 miles away.
The best schools in and around 99721
Schools across 99721 average an F, better than 1% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Pearl Creek ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
- Weller ElementaryB · 48% proficient
- Two Rivers SchoolD− · 16% proficient
Top high schools
- West Valley High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- North Pole High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Kotzebue Middle/high SchoolD− · 15% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 99721 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
99721 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 99721 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 99721
Is 99721 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 99721 ranks 27,720th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on clean air, short commutes, and low disaster risk, and lowest on internet speeds and the schools. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 99721 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $126,150. The overall cost of living runs about 42% above the national average. Set against a $85,529 median income, cost of living beats 11% of zip codes.
Is 99721 safe?
99721 is safer than 0% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $2,380 per resident a year.
Compare 99721 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 99721. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 99721 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.
99721 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 99721: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 99721: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 99721: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 99721: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
99721 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.