Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,331, settled in 1896. 3.4 times the library visits per person than the typical Alaska town.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of U.S. communities, with avalanches at the top. Overall it grades C+, 28th of 41 graded towns in Alaska. It is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is incomes: the median household income is $74K, and 12% of residents live below the poverty line. Homer’s July high is 63°F, below both Alaska’s towns (66°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Only 5 of Alaska’s 65 towns score lower on cost of living. Homer's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 100% of U.S. towns.
Where Homer beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
5,003 counted in 2010 and 5,522 in 2020; an estimated 6,331 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 14.6% since 2020, after 10.4% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far Homer is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 325 in 1940, 5,522 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1899 and 4 maps from 1946 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Homer, 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 Homer.
Since 2017, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Homer.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. Three of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Homer High School, with 357 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Homer ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 211 | A− |
| Homer High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 357 | A− |
| Fireweed AcademyTop results in townGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 104 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
10 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Homer Airport Critical Habitat Area, at 444 acres.
| Homer | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.2% | 15% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Homer Airport Critical Habitat Area | 0.3 mi | 444 |
| 2. Karen A. Hornady Hillside Park | 0.2 mi | 27 |
| 3. Benjamin O. Walters Sr. Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
28% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Homer. Among 41 Alaska towns, just 4 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Homer. 21% of adults get no exercise outside work in Homer.
| Homer | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 68% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Homer | AK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.8% | 13.5% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.3% | 12.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.1% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Homer 9 E weather station, 8 miles away, records that 84 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 63.1°, cooler than in 100% of U.S. towns; January nights average 19°.
Homer has chilly, snowy winters and cool summers. The January low in Homer is 19°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 22% of residents (14% statewide); children under 18 are 20% of residents (24% statewide). 40% of Homer adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Homer has grown 15% since 2020, to 6,331 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Homer | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 13% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 27% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 24% | 22% |
| Median age | 40 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
48% women, 52% men
About 109 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.8 points). Across Alaska, 47.5% of residents are women.
| Homer | AK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.9% | 13.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.8% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.2% | 15.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.2% | 14.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.3% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.6% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.5% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.3% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.6% | 28.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.5% | 24% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.5% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.1% | 11.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Homer home is worth about $430,000, up 7.6% in a year, 8% above the Alaska typical home.
| Homer | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 66% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,238 a month | $1,412 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within Alaska, it does better than 71% of towns. Homer’s violent crime rate is 1.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Homer | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 3.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.6 per 1,000 residents | 8.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Homer; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Homer residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alaska.
4 notable people were born in Homer.
City in south-central Alaska, United States
Homer (Dena'ina: Tuggeght) is a city in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is 218 mi (351 km) southwest of Anchorage. According to the 2020 census, the population was 5,522, up from 5,003 in 2010. Long known as the "Halibut Fishing Capital of the World", Homer is also nicknamed "the end of the road", and more recently, "the cosmic hamlet by the sea".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Homer.
| Town | AK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homer | #28 | C+ | C− | B− | B+ | B+ |
| Diamond Ridge | — | — | B− | — | B+ | A− |
| Kachemak | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Diamond Ridge has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Diamond Ridge reports no FBI crime data of its own. Kachemak isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Homer with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Homer grades C+ overall, better than 36% of U.S. towns and #28 of 41 in Alaska. It grades B+ for health, B− for safety and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Alaska, it does better than 71% of towns.
Yes. That is 5.3 years of the area's median household income ($80,538 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
4 notable people were born here, including Kristen Faulkner and Ambrose Olsen.
