Aerial view of Alaska Raceway Park (cropped), 2006
Butte’s story
Butte in pictures
Census counts: 559 in 1960, 3,589 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and a map from 1979 on.
Explore the history →
ButteAK
A town of 4,085. Public schools that outperform most of Alaska.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Cecil Sanders · CC BY 2.0
Population
4,085
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$375K
Census ACS
Household income
$101K
median
Median age
42.2
years
Land area
41 sq mi
TownGrade
B−
#19 of 41 in AK
Is Butte a good place to live?
Butte grades B− overall, 19th among Alaska's 41 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools rank ahead of 77% of Alaska towns. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of U.S. communities, with avalanches at the top. 36% of the land in Butte is conserved, where Alaska’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. The biggest place to walk is Knik Public Use Area, 5,554 acres with 3.5 miles of trail. Only 2 of the 41 Alaska towns we compare have a higher midpoint age than Butte.
What makes Butte stand out
Where Butte beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A growing town
Butte has grown 11% from 2010 to 2020
3,246 counted in 2010 and 3,589 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Butte grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far Butte is from typical.
Hazard riskavalanches tops the listDOpen →SchoolsA−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $375K, 3.7 years of the Anchorage metro’s $101K median household incomeC−Open →HealthMat-Su Regional Medical Center 9.2 miles awayB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.7 of 20; 1.9% of households have no car; 5.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →Jobs & income6.7% below the poverty lineB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Butte: who provides what
Butte is unincorporated, so Matanuska-Susitna Borough and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerMatanuska Electric Assn24.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet2 providers80% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMatanuska-Susitna BoroughMatanuska-Susitna Borough provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Alaska you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereAbsentee and Petition OfficeState of Alaska; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code9964599645 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Butte.
Butte has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Alaska.
OutdoorsB
Butte has set aside nearly a third of its land for conservation
There are 18 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve. The trail density for Butte comes to 0.5 miles per square mile, against 0.4 in Alaska’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.
#16for trails in AK
36.4%
conserved · 8,044 of 22,091 acres
18 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Knik Public Use Area | 3.5 mi | 5,554 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsA−
Butte earns an A− for schools
The public schools here belong to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. Its one school is below. Butte’s only public school teaches 263 students.
77%of AK districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butte ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 263 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Butte faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by avalanches
FEMA puts nearly three quarters of Butte’s expected hazard losses down to avalanches, and 23% to earthquakes. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 1990: 9.
86risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
AvalanchesEarthquakes
9
paid flood claims since 1990
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthB+
Butte is healthier than two in three U.S. towns
Within Alaska it is less healthy than 60% of the 41 graded towns: Alaska sets a high bar. Its widest gap with Alaska is tooth loss: 8.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 13.5% statewide.
Butte: 73% of adults had a checkup this year. Among 41 Alaska towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Butte.
68%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Butte | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 68% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Alaska
7 better22 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Butte | AK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.3% | 13.5% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.8% | 14.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.7% | 7% |
Mat-Su Regional Medical Center
9.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
40th
percentile among AK towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Butte
The Lazy Mtn weather station, 7 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 114 days, shorter than in 98% of U.S. towns. The Lazy Mtn weather station, 7 miles away, records that 83 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns.
July afternoons reach 66° and January nights drop to 9°.
83″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter11–25°
Spring25–46°
Summer45–64°
Fall26–42°
Sep 16
typical first frost
May 22
typical last frost
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Young adults are less common in Butte than in Alaska
16% of residents are 65 or older in Butte. Adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (25% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 42% of residents (37% statewide). Four-year graduates: just over a third of adults 25 and older here, 32% across Alaska.
42.2median age · AK 35.8
| Butte | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 27% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 13% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 24% | 22% |
ButteAlaskaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
16%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma4%
High school26%
Some college22%
Associate’s14%
Bachelor’s19%
Graduate15%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.4 points. Across Alaska, 47.5% of residents are women. Median age: women 40.8, men 43.4.
| Butte | AK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.4% | 13.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.3% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.1% | 15.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.6% | 14.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.6% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.3% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.9% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.3% | 28.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 24% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.7% | 11.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,100, single groups can be off by several points
HousingCost of living grade C−
A home in Butte sells for about $490K at the median
On the market in Butte: a median 23 days to sell. The share of households in Butte who are owner-occupiers: 83%. The rent at the middle of the market for Butte comes to $1,610 a month.
$490Kmedian sale price
| Butte | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,610 a month | $1,402 a month | $1,185 a month |
Market temperature
23
days on market
99.8%
sale-to-list price
6
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Butte
17pages on Butte
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Butte
About 5 of every 100 Butte residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alaska.
About Butte
CDP in Alaska, United States
Butte is a census-designated place (CDP) in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the population was 3,589, up from 3,246 in 2010. Butte is located between the Matanuska River and the Knik River, approximately 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Palmer. It is accessible via the Old Glenn Highway.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 41 sq mi
- Elevation
- 92 ft
Butte’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Butte.
Lazy MountainKnik RiverButte
How the neighbors grade
| Town | AK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte | #19 | B− | C− | — | A− | B+ |
| Lazy Mountain | — | — | A− | — | A− | B+ |
| Knik River | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Lazy Mountain has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Butte and Lazy Mountain report no FBI crime data of their own. Knik River isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Butte with a neighbor →
Questions about Butte
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Butte, AK a good place to live?
Butte grades B− overall, better than 45% of U.S. towns and #19 of 41 in Alaska. It grades B+ for health and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Butte, AK expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $375,000, 6% below the Alaska typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.