Best Places99824, AK Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 99824, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
99824 ranks 2,801st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low taxes by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 99824
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.
99824's strengths and weaknesses
Where 99824 ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Short commute16.4 minutes each way, better than 95% of zip codes
Where 99824 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 46 pleasant days a year, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,133 a month, better than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 99824
A household needs to earn about $115,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 99824 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $88,842, 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 99824's effective rate of 0.88%, 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 99824
99824 runs younger 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 99824.
Who works in 99824, and how
Work in 99824 centers on public administration and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 70%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in 99824
The coast is about 20 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 99824, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 99824, month by month
99824 sees roughly 46 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 67 degrees. January highs sit near 36, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs June through August.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 31° | 26° |
| April | 50° | 41° | 33° |
| July | 67° | 59° | 51° |
| October | 49° | 43° | 36° |
Flying in and out of 99824
The nearest airport, Juneau International, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Ted Stevens Anchorage International, about 577 miles away.
The best schools in and around 99824
Schools across 99824 average a B, better than 65% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Montessori Borealis Public Alternative SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Saytik: Gastineau Community SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Dzantik'i Heeni Middle SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Top high schools
- Thunder Mountain High SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 99824 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
99824 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 99824 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 99824
Is 99824 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 99824 ranks 2,801st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low taxes, clean air, and heat safety, 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 99824 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $433,670. The overall cost of living runs about 20% above the national average. Set against a $88,842 median income, cost of living beats 39% of zip codes.
Is 99824 safe?
Yes, 99824 is safer than 97% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $250 per resident a year.
Compare 99824 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 99824. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 99824 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.
99824 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 99824: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 99824: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 99824: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 99824: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
99824 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.