Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
1,235 people live in this town, settled in 1904.
The best of Metlakatla’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for walkability; the weakest is a D for health. Metlakatla’s average commute is 6 minutes, where Alaska’s towns sit at 21 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. On health, just 1 of Alaska’s 69 towns do worse. The median household income is $72K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. No town in Alaska scores lower than Metlakatla on the outdoors. Mary Island Light Station and Father William Duncan House is on the National Register of Historic Places. On civic life, just 2 of Alaska’s 26 towns do worse. Metlakatla has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Metlakatla beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far Metlakatla is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 823 in 1890, a low of 465 in 1900, 1,454 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1893 and a map from 1955 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Metlakatla is unincorporated, so Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Metlakatla.
Compared with 100% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Metlakatla is lower. FEMA puts 73% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 9% to earthquakes.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Annette Island School District runs its public schools. Two of its 3 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Johnson ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 130 | C− |
| Metlakatla High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 98 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
Just over a tenth of Metlakatla adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Of the 42 Alaska towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Metlakatla.
| Metlakatla | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Metlakatla | AK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 26.7% | 14.3% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 16.4% | 9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 14.6% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
A winter brings about 35 inches of snow, with January nights at 33° and July afternoons at 66°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
CDP in Alaska, United States
Metlakatla (; Tsimshian: Maxłaxaała or Tak'waan; Tlingit: Tàakw.àani) is a census-designated place (CDP) on Annette Island in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 1,405; this had grown to 1,454 by the 2020 census. Since the late 19th century, it has been the major settlement of the Metlakatla Indian Community of the federally recognized Annette Island Reserve, the only remaining reserve in Alaska. The Metlakatla voted to opt out of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of the 1970s and retained rights to their land and waters. Membership in the community is primarily by lineage; it consists primarily of Tsimshian people and also i…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.