25milefield1945, 1945
Eielson AFB’s story
83 years in pictures
Census counts: 6,149 in 1970, 2,610 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1945 and 4 maps from 1949 on.
- 1943Eielson AFB is settled
Eielson AFBAK
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: United States Air Force · Public domain
Population
3,155
Census survey, 2020–24
Household income
$68K
median
Median age
22.3
years
TownGrade
C
#32 of 41 in AK
Is Eielson AFB a good place to live?
The typical home is worth about , years of the Fairbanks metro’s $88K median household income. Overall it grades C, 32nd of 41 graded towns in Alaska. It is healthier than 77% of U.S. towns and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 76% of U.S. towns. Eielson AFB’s average trip to work is 10 minutes, against 21 minutes in Alaska’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. No town in Alaska scores lower than Eielson AFB on cost of living.
What makes Eielson AFB stand out
Where Eielson AFB beats most towns.
32 measures vs. Alaska
11 better12 too close to call9 worse
| Widest gap | Eielson AFB | AK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 1.6% | 7% |
HealthA−
Beats AK on 11 of 32 CDC measures, trails it on 9
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
WalkabilityA−
More walkable than 76% of U.S. towns
14.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
0historic places
History
Settled in 1943
A long history
A history going back 83 years.
How Eielson AFB grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far Eielson AFB is from typical.
Cost of livingHome prices against what area households earnD−Open →HealthBassett Ach (Ft Wainwright) 19.9 miles awayA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.5 of 20; 0.7% of households have no carA−Open →Hazard riskcold waves tops the listC+Open →Jobs & income$68K median household income; 3.9% below the poverty lineC+Open →SchoolsBOpen →
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 Eielson AFB: who provides what
Eielson AFB is unincorporated, so Fairbanks North Star Borough and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerGolden Valley Elec Assn31.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterEielson - Air Force Base water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesFairbanks North Star BoroughFairbanks North Star 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 code9970299702 99%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 Eielson AFB.
Eielson AFB carries less natural-hazard risk than most of Alaska (mostly cold waves), has less cancer than most of Alaska and has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns.
SchoolsB
Eielson AFB’s public schools outperform 56% of Alaska districts
Its public schools are run by the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
56%of AK districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Crawford ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 369 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
HealthA−
Fewer of Eielson AFB’s adults have diabetes than in the typical Alaska or U.S. town
Its widest gap with Alaska is cancer: 1.6% of its 1,811 adults have had cancer, against 7% statewide. Against the 10,348 U.S. towns with household incomes like Eielson AFB’s, it is healthier than 94%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income.
3.1% of Eielson AFB adults have diabetes. Of the 41 Alaska towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Eielson AFB. 17% of Eielson AFB adults have high blood pressure.
77%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Eielson AFB | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 3.1% | 8.8% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 17% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 32% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 32% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Alaska
11 better12 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Eielson AFB | AK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 1.6% | 7% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 1.5% | 5.7% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 33.6% | 68% |
Bassett Ach (Ft Wainwright)
19.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
73rd
percentile among AK towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsC+
Eielson AFB has set aside 13.8% of its land for conservation
7.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
#26for trails in AK
13.8%
conserved · 2,720 of 19,696 acres
7.2 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Heritage Park | 0.2 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Eielson AFB
The Eielson Fld weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 104 days, shorter than in 99% of U.S. towns. January nights average -17.6°, colder than in 100% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 71.6°.
Eielson AFB has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. Eielson AFB’s January low is -18°F. About 68 inches of snow falls in a winter.
68″snow a winter
| Eielson AFB | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | -18°F | 7°F | 22°F |
| July high | 72°F | 66°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter-14–5°
Spring18–44°
Summer47–69°
Fall14–33°
Sep 1
typical first frost
May 20
typical last frost
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Eielson AFB faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by cold waves
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 82% of Alaska towns; that rating is what its C+ for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Eielson AFB is 56 of 100.
56risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesAvalanchesWildfire
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Eielson AFB
16pages on Eielson AFB
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Eielson AFB; the nearest are
About 11 of every 100 Eielson AFB residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Alaska.
About Eielson AFB
US military facility near Fairbanks, Alaska
Eielson Air Force Base (IATA: EIL, ICAO: PAEI, FAA LID: EIL) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska. It was established in 1943 as Mile 26 Satellite Field and redesignated Eielson Air Force Base on 13 January 1948. It has been a Superfund site since 1989. Eielson AFB was named in honor of polar pilot Carl Ben Eielson. Its host unit is the 354th Fighter Wing (354 FW) assigned to the Eleventh Air Force of the Pacific Air Forces. The 354 FW's primary mission is to support RED FLAG-Alaska, a series of Pacific Air Forces commander–directed field training exercises for U.S. Forces, j…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1943
- Elevation
- 443 ft
- ZIP code
- 99702
Eielson AFB’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Eielson AFB.
SalchaMoose CreekEielson AFB
How the neighbors grade
| Town | AK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eielson AFB | #32 | C | D− | — | B | A− |
| Salcha | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Moose Creek | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Eielson AFB reports no FBI crime data of its own. Salcha and Moose Creek aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Eielson AFB with a neighbor →
Questions about Eielson AFB
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Eielson AFB, AK a good place to live?
Eielson AFB grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #32 of 41 in Alaska. It grades A− for health and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.