Best PlacesAleutians West Census Area, AK Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Aleutians West Census Area, 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.
Aleutians West Census Area ranks 634th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Aleutians West Census Area
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.
Aleutians West Census Area's strengths and weaknesses
Where Aleutians West Census Area ranks high
- Short commute6.3 minutes each way, better than 99% of counties
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of counties
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of counties
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of counties
- QuietBetter than 99% of counties
Where Aleutians West Census Area ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 26 pleasant days a year, better than only 1% of counties
- Cell coverageBetter than only 1% of counties
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of counties
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 4% of counties
- Big-city accessBetter than only 4% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Aleutians West Census Area
A household needs to earn about $102,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Aleutians West Census Area home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $134,702, 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 Aleutians West Census Area's effective rate of 0.60%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Aleutians West Census Area
Aleutians West Census Area's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 Aleutians West Census Area.
Who works in Aleutians West Census Area, and how
Work in Aleutians West Census Area centers on manufacturing and public administration. Unemployment is low.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 57%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 35%
Life in Aleutians West Census Area
The coast is about 8 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Aleutians West Census Area, which the map shows.
Is Aleutians West Census Area growing, and who is moving in?
Aleutians West Census Area has lost about 7% of its population over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Seattle, WA.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Aleutians West Census Area go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Aleutians West Census Area, month by month
Aleutians West Census Area sees roughly 26 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 59 degrees. January highs sit near 39, with lows near 30. No month averages between 55 and 75 degrees.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 35° | 30° |
| April | 44° | 38° | 34° |
| July | 59° | 52° | 48° |
| October | 50° | 45° | 40° |
Flying in and out of Aleutians West Census Area
The nearest airport, Larsen Bay, is about 253 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Ted Stevens Anchorage International, about 500 miles away.
The best schools in and around Aleutians West Census Area
Schools across Aleutians West Census Area average a B, better than 72% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Eagle's View Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Unalaska Jr/sr High SchoolB · 48% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Aleutians West Census Area school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Aleutians West Census Area 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 Aleutians West Census Area against the other 3,143 counties.
Common questions about living in Aleutians West Census Area
Is Aleutians West Census Area a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Aleutians West Census Area ranks 634th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on short commutes, heat safety, and clean air, and lowest on the weather and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Aleutians West Census Area expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $401,080. The overall cost of living runs about 70% above the national average. Set against a $134,702 median income, cost of living beats 41% of counties.
Is Aleutians West Census Area safe?
Aleutians West Census Area is safer than 21% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $709 per resident a year.
Compare Aleutians West Census Area with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Aleutians West Census Area. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Aleutians West Census Area 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.
Aleutians West Census Area detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Aleutians West Census Area: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Aleutians West Census Area: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Aleutians West Census Area: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Aleutians West Census Area: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Aleutians West Census Area 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.