Best PlacesSpenard, Anchorage, AK Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Spenard, Anchorage, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Spenard, Anchorage ranks 2,332nd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low taxes by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Spenard, Anchorage
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.
Spenard, Anchorage's strengths and weaknesses
Where Spenard, Anchorage ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Short commute16.0 minutes each way, better than 96% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
Where Spenard, Anchorage ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,590 a month, better than only 16% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Spenard, Anchorage
A household needs to earn about $88,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Spenard, Anchorage home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $86,779; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 Spenard, Anchorage's effective rate of 1.08%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Spenard, Anchorage
Spenard, Anchorage 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 Spenard, Anchorage.
Who works in Spenard, Anchorage, and how
Work in Spenard, Anchorage centers on health care & social and hospitality & food. Unemployment sits above the national rate.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in Spenard, Anchorage
Spenard, Anchorage has more restaurants and bars per resident than 83% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 85% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 3 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Spenard, Anchorage and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Spenard, Anchorage, month by month
Spenard, Anchorage sees roughly 143 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 69 degrees. January highs sit near 26, with lows near 11. The comfortable stretch runs June through August.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 19° | 11° |
| April | 47° | 38° | 28° |
| July | 69° | 61° | 54° |
| October | 45° | 38° | 32° |
Flying in and out of Spenard, Anchorage
Ted Stevens Anchorage International sits about 3 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 2.6 million passengers in 2025, with 71 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Spenard, Anchorage
Schools across Spenard, Anchorage average a C−, better than 29% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Aquarian Charter SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Inlet View ElementaryB · 50% proficient
- Turnagain ElementaryB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mears Middle SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Romig Middle SchoolC · 34% proficient
Top high schools
- Dimond High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- West High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Spenard, Anchorage school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Spenard, Anchorage 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 Spenard, Anchorage against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Spenard, Anchorage
Is Spenard, Anchorage a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Spenard, Anchorage ranks 2,332nd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low taxes, heat safety, and clean air, and lowest on cell coverage and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Spenard, Anchorage expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $323,128. The overall cost of living runs about 11% above the national average. Set against a $86,779 median income, cost of living beats 49% of neighborhoods.
Is Spenard, Anchorage safe?
Spenard, Anchorage is safer than 24% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,074 per resident a year.
Compare Spenard, Anchorage with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Spenard, Anchorage. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Spenard, Anchorage 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.
Spenard, Anchorage detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Spenard, Anchorage: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Spenard, Anchorage: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Spenard, Anchorage: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Spenard, Anchorage: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Spenard, Anchorage 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.