Best PlacesChugach Census Area, AK Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Chugach 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.
Chugach Census Area ranks 884th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Chugach 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.
Chugach Census Area's strengths and weaknesses
Where Chugach Census Area ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of counties
- Short commute9.2 minutes each way, better than 99% of counties
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of counties
- Air qualityBetter than 98% of counties
- QuietBetter than 97% of counties
Where Chugach Census Area ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 27 pleasant days a year, better than only 1% of counties
- Cell coverageBetter than only 2% of counties
- Cheap childcare$1,185 a month, better than only 9% of counties
- Big-city accessBetter than only 10% of counties
- Low vacancyBetter than only 14% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Chugach Census Area
A household needs to earn about $93,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Chugach Census Area home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $95,259, 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 Chugach Census Area's effective rate of 0.94%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Chugach Census Area
Chugach Census Area'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 Chugach Census Area.
Who works in Chugach Census Area, and how
Work in Chugach Census Area centers on health care & social and public administration. Unemployment sits above the national rate.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 74%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 22%
Life in Chugach Census Area
The coast is about 46 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Chugach Census Area, which the map shows.
Is Chugach Census Area growing, and who is moving in?
Chugach Census Area has lost about 7% of its population over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Mobile, AL.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Chugach 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 Chugach Census Area, month by month
Chugach Census Area sees roughly 27 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 64 degrees. January highs sit near 30, with lows near 17. The comfortable stretch runs July.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 23° | 17° |
| April | 45° | 38° | 30° |
| July | 64° | 55° | 48° |
| October | 46° | 39° | 33° |
Flying in and out of Chugach Census Area
The nearest airport, Valdez Pioneer Field, is about 18 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Ted Stevens Anchorage International, about 129 miles away.
The best schools in and around Chugach Census Area
Schools across Chugach Census Area average a B−, better than 67% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Hermon Hutchens ElementaryB · 48% proficient
- Mt. Eccles ElementaryB · 45% proficient
- William H. Seward Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- George H. Gilson Middle SchoolB+ · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- River City AcademyB · 50% proficient
- Cordova Jr/sr High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Valdez High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Chugach Census Area school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Chugach 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 Chugach Census Area against the other 3,143 counties.
Common questions about living in Chugach Census Area
Is Chugach Census Area a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Chugach Census Area ranks 884th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on heat safety, short commutes, and low taxes, 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 Chugach Census Area expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $347,419. The overall cost of living runs about 42% above the national average. Set against a $95,259 median income, cost of living beats 18% of counties.
Is Chugach Census Area safe?
Chugach Census Area is safer than 19% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $725 per resident a year.
Compare Chugach Census Area with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Chugach Census Area. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Chugach 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.
Chugach Census Area detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Chugach Census Area: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Chugach Census Area: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Chugach Census Area: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Chugach Census Area: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Chugach 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.