Living in Utqiagvik, Alaska: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 3.8% below the U.S. average in the parts of Alaska outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.7 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Utqiagvik itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town3 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close bySamuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySeattle is about 1,974 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Utqiagvik meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Worth a closer look

Utqiagvik has lost about 6% of its people since 2020. A shrinking town can mean bargains, but visit Main Street on a weekday and ask what's closed lately.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $311,400U.S.: $332,700
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,360 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $115,313U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 46%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $2,615 a yearAlaska: $3,901
Homes built before 1940: 0%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 3%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 96.2U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Alaska outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Alaska outside metro areas, not Utqiagvik alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 4,6402020: 4,912
Median age: 34.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 12%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 30%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 16%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 7%U.S.: 6%
College students: 6%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Government (32%); schools, health care and social services (24%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (7%)
Unemployment rate: 9%U.S.: 5%
Work from home: 7%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 11%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital, Barrow, AK, in town. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, Fairbanks, AK, about 500 miles away. Medicare gives it 2 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

3 public schools in Utqiagvik, run by North Slope Borough School District.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Alaska's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 34%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 71%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: -18°F
July average high: 48°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 0 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 300 a year
Rain and melted snow: 5.4 inches a year
Snow: 46 inches a year
Elevation: 39 feet

Weather station: Barrow Post Rogers Ap (1 mile away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Anchorage, AKCity of 287,000726

Seattle, WAMetro of 4.2 million1,974

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Anchorage, Seattle.

North Slope Borough is outside any metro area, with fewer than 5,000 people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 9, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

Know Utqiagvik?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Kotzebue, AK2,900 people, 334 miles
Goldstream, AK3,300 people, 490 miles
Ester, AK2,800 people, 494 miles
Farmers Loop, AK5,000 people, 496 miles
College, AK11,900 people, 497 miles
Steele Creek, AK5,900 people, 498 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.