Seabulk Pride aground, 2006
Nikiski’s story
Nikiski in pictures
Census counts: 74 in 1880, 4,456 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
Explore the history →
NikiskiAK
A town of 4,773.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Beeblebrox · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
4,773
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$313K
Census ACS
Household income
$66K
median
Median age
36.5
years
Land area
76 sq mi
TownGrade
C−
#36 of 41 in AK
Is Nikiski a good place to live?
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Overall it grades C−, 36th of 41 graded towns in Alaska. Its weakest subject is incomes: the median household income is $66K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. Nikiski’s July high is 63°F, where Alaska’s towns sit at 66°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. The biggest park or preserve is East Foreland Lighthouse Reserve, at 1,556 acres. Among 41 Alaska towns, just 1 have a lower median rent than Nikiski.
How Nikiski grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far Nikiski is from typical.
Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listD−Open →Jobs & income15.9% below the poverty lineDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4 of 20; 1.2% of households have no car; 2.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →SchoolsB+Open →HealthLess healthy than 55% of U.S. towns; Central Peninsula General Hospital 16.7 miles awayB−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $313K, 3.9 years of the county’s $81K median household incomeB−Open →
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 Nikiski: who provides what
Nikiski is unincorporated, so Kenai Peninsula Borough and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerChugach Electric Assn23.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterNikishka Bay water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet2 providers94% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesKenai Peninsula BoroughKenai Peninsula 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 code9961199611 100%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 Nikiski.
Nikiski is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Earthquakes leads a very high hazard risk in Nikiski
96risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesAvalanches
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsB+
Public schools in Nikiski beat 65% of Alaska districts
Its public schools are run by the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. Its two schools are below.
65%of AK districts it outscoresB+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nikiski North Star ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 214 | B− |
| Nikiski Middle/Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 276 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
Climate
Nikiski has four seasons and pleasant summers
July afternoons average 63.3°, cooler than in 100% of U.S. towns; January nights average 7.4°.
Nikiski has cold winters and cool summers, with very little rain. Nikiski’s January low is 7°F.
63°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter10–25°
Spring26–44°
Summer47–62°
Fall28–43°
Sep 22
typical first frost
May 18
typical last frost
63°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsB−
Conserved land covers 12.7% of Nikiski
6.0 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Among 41 Alaska towns, just 3 have a lower trail density than Nikiski.
#37for trails in AK
12.7%
conserved · 6,084 of 48,092 acres
6.0 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Captain Cook State Recreation Area | 0.6 mi | 1,430 |
| 2. East Foreland Lighthouse Reserve | 0.4 mi | 1,556 |
| 3. Kenai National Wildlife Refuge | — | 834 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HealthB−
Nikiski stands out in Alaska and nationally: a larger share of its adults have high blood pressure
Against the 10,072 U.S. towns with household incomes like Nikiski’s, it is healthier than 62%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
38% of adults have high blood pressure in Nikiski. Only 3 of the 41 Alaska towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Nikiski. 21% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Nikiski.
45%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Nikiski | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 66% | 68% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 32% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Alaska
1 better17 too close to call14 worse
| What stands out | Nikiski | AK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 72% | 68% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.8% | 6.1% |
Central Peninsula General Hospital
16.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
15th
percentile among AK towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Nikiski
16pages on Nikiski
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Nikiski; the nearest are
Alaska Christian CollegeCommunity college · Private nonprofit · Soldotna16.5 mi$9,660 tuitionUniversity of Alaska AnchorageUniversity or college · Public · Anchorage56.8 mi$7,738 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Nikiski residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Alaska.
About Nikiski
Census-designated place in Alaska, United States
Nikiski is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. The population was 4,456 at the 2020 census, down from 4,493 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 76 sq mi
- Elevation
- 128 ft
- ZIP code
- 99635
Nikiski’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Nikiski.
SalamatofPoint PossessionNikiski
How the neighbors grade
| Town | AK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikiski | #36 | C− | B− | — | B+ | B− |
| Salamatof | — | — | B | — | B+ | B− |
| Point Possession | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Salamatof has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Nikiski and Salamatof report no FBI crime data of their own. Point Possession isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Nikiski with a neighbor →
Questions about Nikiski
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Nikiski, AK a good place to live?
Nikiski grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #36 of 41 in Alaska. It grades B− for health and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Nikiski, AK expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.