Best PlacesSoutheast Fairbanks Census Area, AK Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Southeast Fairbanks 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.
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area ranks 1,840th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Southeast Fairbanks 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.
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area's strengths and weaknesses
Where Southeast Fairbanks Census Area ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 99% of counties
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of counties
- Heat safetyBetter than 98% of counties
- QuietBetter than 97% of counties
- Short commute15.8 minutes each way, better than 94% of counties
Where Southeast Fairbanks Census Area ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 1% of counties
- Internet speedBetter than only 1% of counties
- Big-city accessBetter than only 4% of counties
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of counties
- Low vacancyBetter than only 6% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
A household needs to earn about $69,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Southeast Fairbanks Census Area home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $77,422, 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 a national 0.90% effective rate, since no local rate is published, 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 Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Southeast Fairbanks Census Area.
Who works in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, and how
Work in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area centers on public administration and construction. Unemployment sits above the national rate.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 75%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 12%
Life in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area has more restaurants and bars per resident than 80% of counties. That concentrates in some parts of Southeast Fairbanks Census Area and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Southeast Fairbanks Census Area growing, and who is moving in?
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area has grown about 6% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Fairbanks, AK.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Southeast Fairbanks 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 Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, month by month
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area sees roughly 137 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 73 degrees. January highs sit near 12, with lows near -5. The comfortable stretch runs June through August.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12° | 3° | -5° |
| April | 45° | 34° | 21° |
| July | 73° | 62° | 52° |
| October | 37° | 29° | 22° |
Flying in and out of Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
The nearest airport, Fairbanks International, is about 115 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Ted Stevens Anchorage International, about 251 miles away.
The best schools in and around Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
Schools across Southeast Fairbanks Census Area average a C+, better than 62% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Delta Junction ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Glennallen ElementaryC− · 30% proficient
- Tanacross SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Delta Junction Junior High SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Delta Junction Senior High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Glennallen Jr/sr High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Southeast Fairbanks Census Area school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Southeast Fairbanks 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 Southeast Fairbanks Census Area against the other 3,143 counties.
Common questions about living in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
Is Southeast Fairbanks Census Area a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area ranks 1,840th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on low property taxes, low taxes, and heat safety, and lowest on cell coverage and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Southeast Fairbanks Census Area expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $260,807. The overall cost of living runs about 20% above the national average. Set against a $77,422 median income, cost of living beats 13% of counties.
Is Southeast Fairbanks Census Area safe?
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area is safer than 30% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $688 per resident a year.
Compare Southeast Fairbanks Census Area with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Southeast Fairbanks Census Area. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Southeast Fairbanks 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.
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Southeast Fairbanks Census Area: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Southeast Fairbanks Census Area: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Southeast Fairbanks 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.