Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Fairbanks's crime rate is higher than 95% of U.S. towns, with 266 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Overall it grades C−, 38th of 41 graded towns in Alaska. It is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns and it has 72 miles of trail. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 80% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Fairbanks’ violent crime rate is 8.4 per 1,000 residents, above both the Alaska town median (3.3) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). On safety, just 1 of Alaska’s 23 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include NENANA (steamer) and Ladd Field.
Where Fairbanks beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Thomas, George C., Memorial Library
Thomas, George C., Memorial Library is one of 3 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 3,541 in 1910, a low of 1,155 in 1920, 32,515 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1897 and 3 maps from 1949 on.
21 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far Fairbanks is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fairbanks, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Fairbanks.
Fairbanks has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, is mostly renters and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Alaska.
73 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. The trail density in Fairbanks is 2.2 miles per square mile. South Davis Park, at 145 acres with 1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Fairbanks | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.9% | 15% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge | 2 mi | 76 |
| 2. South Davis Park | 1 mi | 145 |
| 3. Bernice Allridge Park | 0.5 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. Three of its 23 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanana Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 523 | B− |
| Lathrop High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 788 | B |
| Barnette Magnet SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 417 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
Fairbanks’ property crime rate is 29.9 per 1,000 residents. Fairbanks reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 95% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Since 1978, 29 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fairbanks.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Only 39.8% of households own their home, against 66.8% across Alaska.
Only 1 of the 41 Alaska towns we compare have a lower median age than Fairbanks. 12% of Fairbanks residents are 65 or older. Fairbanks has lost 3.2% of its people since 2020, down to 31,468 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Fairbanks | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 29 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 13% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 25% | 24% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 29% | 29% |
46% women, 54% men
About 118 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.1 points). Across Alaska, 47.5% of residents are women. Median age: women 30.4, men 28.3.
| Fairbanks | AK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.9% | 13.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.6% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 15.2% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 21.5% | 15.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.5% | 14.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.7% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 6.6% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.8% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.1% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.9% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.1% | 28.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.8% | 24% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.2% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.1% | 11.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Fairbanks home is worth about $308,000, up 5.3% in a year, 23% below the Alaska typical home. 40% of households own their home in Fairbanks.
| Fairbanks | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 40% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,496 a month | $1,402 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 50% | 42% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within Alaska it is less healthy than 62% of the 41 graded towns: Alaska sets a high bar.
Fairbanks beats the Alaska average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. Among 41 Alaska towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Fairbanks.
| Fairbanks | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 63% | 68% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 32% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.9% | 8.8% | 12% |
| What stands out | Fairbanks | AK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.2% | 7% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 17.9% | 23.3% |
| More uninsured adults | 11.9% | 10% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Aurora weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 112 days, shorter than in 98% of U.S. towns. January nights average -14.8°, colder than in 100% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 72.9°.
Among 41 Alaska towns, just 1 have a higher July high than Fairbanks. Fairbanks has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. About 58 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Fairbanks | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | -15°F | 7°F | 22°F |
| July high | 73°F | 66°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fairbanks. Close and well known come first.
in town Park & preservePioneer Park
6 mi MuseumUniversity of Alaska Museum of the North12 mi Ski areaMoose Mountain Ski Resort98 runs · 1,311 ft vertical16 mi Ski areaSki Land (Mt Aurora)45 runs · 1,084 ft vertical
6 mi GardenGeorgeson Botanical GardenPioneer Park: Enrico Blasutto, CC BY-SA 4.0 · University of Alaska Museum of the North: Maureen amerune, CC BY 2.0 · Georgeson Botanical Garden: Abalg, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Fairbanks
About 6 of every 100 Fairbanks residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alaska.
5.9% of the town is conserved land, across 16 parks and preserves.
21 places in Fairbanks on the National Register of Historic Places.
49 notable people were born in Fairbanks.
City in Alaska, United States
Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. Fairbanks is the largest city in the interior region of Alaska and the second most populous city in the state. The 2020 census put the population of the city proper at 32,515 and the population of the Fairbanks North Star Borough at 95,655, making it the second most populous metropolitan area in Alaska, after Anchorage. The Metropolitan Statistical Area encompasses all of the Fairbanks North Star Borough and is the northernmost metropolitan statistical area in the United States, located 196 miles (315 kilometers) by road (140 mi or 230 km by air) south of the Arctic Circle. In Augu…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Fairbanks.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Badger (C) is closest.
| Town | AK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks | #38 | C− | C | D | B | B+ |
| College | #13 | B | C | — | B | A− |
| South Van Horn | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Badger | #33 | C | C+ | — | B | B+ |
| Steele Creek | #5 | B+ | B− | — | B | A |
College, Badger and Steele Creek report no FBI crime data of their own. South Van Horn isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Fairbanks with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Fairbanks grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #38 of 41 in Alaska. It grades B+ for health, D for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.5 years of the area's median household income ($88,267 across the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
49 notable people were born here, including Bill Walker and Alex Hall.
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