Anchorage, Alaska Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Anchorage, AK Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
B
Health Around average
-
B
Income Around average
-
B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Anchorage | Alaska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 288,636 | 735,577 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 148.4 | 1.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.42% | -0.03% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.2 | 36.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 108,473 | 270,488 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Anchorage grew by 3.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 288,636 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Anchorage is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 24.9% of residents. That is 0.9 points above Alaska as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 66,204 22.9% +0.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 71,729 24.9% +0.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 56,519 19.6% -0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 37,606 13.0% -1.0 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Alaska, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.0% of the people living in Anchorage and men 51.0%.
- Women 49.0% Alaska 47.6%
- Men 51.0% Alaska 52.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Anchorage
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Anchorage has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Anchorage | Alaska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $103,239 | $93,666 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.00% | 2.94% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% | 5.5% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Anchorage is about 10% higher than in Alaska.
Housing
| Metric | Anchorage | Alaska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $334,902 | $320,616 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,488 | $1,418 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 63.9% | 66.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Anchorage is about 18.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,488 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Anchorage spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 143 hours, about 5.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Anchorage | Alaska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.1 | 16.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 34.2 | 32.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 143 | 134 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,419 | $4,157 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.9% | 9.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,190 | 4,865 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,258 | 583 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Anchorage is 17 minutes, longer than the 16 minutes in Alaska.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Anchorage has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Anchorage | Alaska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33.0% | 27.6% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.59 | 2.61 | 2.53 |
Health
Anchorage has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Anchorage | Alaska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.0 | 79.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.0% | 15.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.5% | 22.7% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Anchorage, Alaska.
What is the population of Anchorage, Alaska?
About 288,636 people live in Anchorage, Alaska, in 108,473 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 35.2, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Anchorage, Alaska mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Anchorage, Alaska has 148 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 1.7 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Anchorage, Alaska?
The median home costs 3.2 times the median household income ($334,902 against $103,239), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,488 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →