Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ketchikan's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades C+, ranked 24th of 41 in Alaska. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 93% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is safety: its police reported 28 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 78% of U.S. towns. Ketchikan’s peak summer temperature is 65°F, where Alaska’s towns sit at 66°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. No town in Alaska scores higher than Ketchikan on history. Ketchikan's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Where Ketchikan beats most towns.
Census counts: 40 in 1890, 8,192 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far Ketchikan is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ketchikan, 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 Ketchikan.
Ketchikan carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Alaska (mostly avalanches), fares better on crime within Alaska than nationally and has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 95% of Alaska towns, with expected losses of about $104 per resident a year; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
Households in Ketchikan have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2024. Only 2 of the 40 Alaska towns we compare have a lower FEMA hazard score than Ketchikan. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 55% come from avalanches and 25% from inland flooding. Flood insurance has paid out on 3 claims here since 2015.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Three of its 7 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Its public schools are run by the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District. The largest public high school is Ketchikan High School, with 551 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houghtaling ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 310 | B |
| Ketchikan High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 551 | B+ |
| Tongass School of Arts and Sciences Charter SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 140 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
Trails total 2.4 miles in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Tongass National Forest, at 68 acres. Ketchikan’s trail network density comes in at 0.5 miles per square mile.
| Ketchikan | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7% | 15% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tongass National Forest | — | 68 |
| 2. City Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
| 3. Alder Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 34.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 59% of Alaska’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 265 to 120 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate for Ketchikan comes to 3.5 per 1,000 residents. The property offense rate for Ketchikan comes to 11.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Ketchikan | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 3.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.5 per 1,000 residents | 8.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
July afternoons average 64.5°, cooler than in 100% of U.S. towns; January nights average 31.5°.
The seasons in Ketchikan: mild, snowy winters, cool summers, with plenty of rain. About 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Since 2020, Ketchikan has lost 3% of its people, to 7,939 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. No age group stands out against Alaska: all are within 4 points. Just over a fifth of residents are under 18 in the town. A bachelor’s degree or higher: nearly a quarter of adults 25 and older, vs 32% across Alaska.
| Ketchikan | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 21% | 24% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 13% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 37.4 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
48% women, 52% men
About 109 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.3 points). Across Alaska, 47.5% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.7, men 36.4.
| Ketchikan | AK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.9% | 13.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.8% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.5% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.7% | 15.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 14.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.4% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.6% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.1% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.1% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.9% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.9% | 28.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 29.4% | 24% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.3% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.4% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9% | 11.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Among 41 Alaska towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Ketchikan. Ketchikan: two in five adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Ketchikan | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 68% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Ketchikan | AK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 7.2% | 6.1% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 3.6% | 3.1% |
| More adults in fair or poor health | 21.5% | 18.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Home values are up 5% over the year to September 2026. The share of households in Ketchikan who are owner-occupiers: 61%. Its rent at the middle of the market is $1,417 a month.
| Ketchikan | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,417 a month | $1,402 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Ketchikan; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Ketchikan residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alaska.
12 places in Ketchikan on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Ketchikan.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ketchikan grades C+ overall, better than 39% of U.S. towns and #24 of 41 in Alaska. It grades C+ for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($92,885 across the Ketchikan, AK 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.
13 notable people were born here, including Lisa Murkowski and Rudy Pankow.
