99517 leans heavily Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican. These figures are model estimates: Alaska did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the numbers above come from demographic and health features rather than local ground truth.
About 62% of adults in 99517 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 99517, ~40% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~38% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 99517 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 99517 leans more Democratic than 9 of 11 neighbors.
99517 runs about 44 points more Democratic than Alaska as a whole. Alaska leans Republican overall, while 99517 is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 99517. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+40) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+26), a spread of about 14 points.
Why 99517 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 99517, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
99517 votes against the grain of Alaska. Alaska leans Republican overall, while 99517 runs about 44 points more Democratic. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and 99517 sits in the top quarter (about 44%, above 85% of zip codes). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 36% of adults in 99517 have never been married, above 82% of zip codes.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; 99517, AK sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in 99517 looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 37% of households in 99517 rent, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 4% of homes in 99517 have more than one occupant per room, above 83% of zip codes. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Zip Codes with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Alaska Division of Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. AK did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the figures here come from extrapolation across demographic, health, and land-use features rather than local ground truth. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.