North LakesAK
A town of 10,223. Public schools that outperform most of Alaska.
Is North Lakes a good place to live?
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Overall it grades C+, ranked 22nd of 41 in Alaska. Its public schools beat 77% of Alaska towns on state tests and graduation. Only 2 of the 41 Alaska towns we compare have a higher share of workers working from home than North Lakes. The biggest park or preserve is Alcantra Recreation Facility, at 102 acres. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 70% of U.S. towns.
What makes North Lakes stand out
Where North Lakes beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Teeland Middle School | PK–8 | 643 |
| John Shaw Elementary | PK–5 | 507 |
| Finger Lake Elementary | PK–5 | 445 |
How North Lakes grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far North Lakes is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to North Lakes: who provides what
North Lakes is unincorporated, so Matanuska-Susitna Borough 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in North Lakes.
North Lakes has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Alaska.
North Lakes faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by earthquakes
One flood insurance claim has been paid in North Lakes since 2022.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
North Lakes’ grade for schools is an A−
Its public schools are run by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Mat-Su Career & Tech Ed High School, with 705 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teeland Middle SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 643 | B+ |
| Mat-Su Career & Tech Ed High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 705 | A+ |
| John Shaw ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 507 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
North Lakes has set aside 6.1% of its land for conservation
In the comparison, North Lakes comes against 15% in Alaska’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. 2.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in North Lakes is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| North Lakes | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.1% | 15% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alcantra Recreation Facility | — | 102 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
North Lakes has snowy winters and pleasant summers
The Matanuska Exp Farm weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 127 days, shorter than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 67.9°, cooler than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 6.7°. The Matanuska Exp Farm weather station records that 50 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 79% of Alaska places with climate records.
North Lakes has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. At 68°F, North Lakes’ July high is where Alaska’s towns sit at 66°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. North Lakes’ January low is 7°F.
| North Lakes | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 68°F | 66°F | 85°F |
| January low | 7°F | 7°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Residents of North Lakes are healthier than 64% of U.S. towns
Within Alaska it is less healthy than 67% of the 41 graded towns: Alaska sets a high bar. Against the 8,333 U.S. towns with household incomes like North Lakes’s, it is less healthy than 55%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
North Lakes tracks Alaska closely on all 32 CDC measures. 71% of North Lakes adults had a checkup this year.
| North Lakes | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 68% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.6% | 8.8% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 35% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
An age mix much like Alaska’s
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Alaska average. 27% of residents are under 18 in North Lakes. 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Alaska.
| North Lakes | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 27% | 24% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 13% | 18% |
| Median age | 36.2 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 29% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.3 points. Across Alaska, 47.5% of residents are women.
| North Lakes | AK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12% | 13.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.7% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.1% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.6% | 15.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.7% | 14.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.5% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.4% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.6% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.3% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.5% | 28.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.5% | 24% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.4% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.7% | 11.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Homes in North Lakes sell for about $578K
The median sale price was $578,000 in May 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about North Lakes
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of North Lakes
About 5 of every 100 North Lakes residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alaska.
About North Lakes
Census-designated place in Alaska, United States
North Lakes is a census-designated place (CDP) in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census, after the split of the former CDP of Lakes. As of the 2020 census, North Lakes had a population of 9,450. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 446 ft
North Lakes’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with North Lakes.
| Town | AK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Lakes | #22 | C+ | C+ | — | A− | B |
| South Lakes | #8 | B | C+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Fishhook | #27 | C+ | C | — | A− | B+ |
| Tanaina | #21 | C+ | B− | — | A− | B− |
| Farm Loop | #12 | B | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Wasilla | #40 | C− | C+ | D | A− | C+ |
North Lakes, South Lakes, Fishhook, Tanaina and Farm Loop report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare North Lakes with a neighbor →
Questions about North Lakes
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is North Lakes, AK a good place to live?
North Lakes grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #22 of 41 in Alaska. It grades B for health and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is North Lakes, AK expensive?
The typical home is worth about $358,000, 10% below the Alaska typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.