Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,227, settled in 1900.
Petersburg's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades A, ranked 1st of 41 in Alaska. Its public schools beat 96% of Alaska towns on state tests and graduation and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 91% of U.S. towns. Petersburg’s average trip to work is 7 minutes, below both Alaska’s towns (21 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). The biggest place to walk is Tongass National Forest, 21,525 acres with 17.4 miles of trail. Petersburg's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Where Petersburg beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Rae C. Stedman Elementary | PK–5 | 206 |
| Mitkof Middle School | 6–8 | 114 |
| Petersburg High School | 9–12 | 144 |
84% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far Petersburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 585 in 1910, 3,043 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1961 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Petersburg is unincorporated, so Petersburg 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Petersburg.
Petersburg carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Alaska (mostly landslides), fares better on crime within Alaska than nationally and has schools in the top 5% of Alaska.
Its 24,669 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in any other Alaska town.
22 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tongass National Forest | 17.4 mi | 21,525 |
| 2. Mort Freyer Sports Park | 0.2 mi | 9 |
| 3. Sandy Beach | 0.2 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A+ ranks #1 of the 41 Alaska towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Petersburg Borough School District. Its three schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rae C. Stedman ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 206 | A− |
| Petersburg High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 144 | A+ |
| Mitkof Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 114 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 95% of Alaska towns; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
Petersburg’s FEMA risk score is 0 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 10,621 U.S. towns with household incomes like Petersburg’s, it is healthier than 89%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Petersburg beats the Alaska average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 68% of adults had a checkup this year in Petersburg. Among 41 Alaska towns, just 3 have a lower share of adults who have obesity than Petersburg.
| Petersburg | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 68% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Petersburg | AK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.6% | 8.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10% | 12.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.1% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
24% of Petersburg residents are 65 or older. Only 1 of the 41 Alaska towns we compare have a higher median age than Petersburg. 19% of Petersburg residents are under 18.
| Petersburg | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 13% | 18% |
| Median age | 46.1 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 24% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 29% | 29% |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.7 points. Across Alaska, 47.5% of residents are women.
| Petersburg | AK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.8% | 13.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.1% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.5% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.4% | 15.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 14.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.5% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.3% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.4% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.4% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.5% | 28.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.5% | 24% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.9% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.1% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.6% | 11.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,200, single groups can be off by several points
The Petersburg 1 weather station records that 86 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 61.7°, cooler than in 100% of U.S. towns; January nights average 27.2°.
Petersburg has chilly, snowy winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Petersburg is 62°F. Only 4 of the 41 Alaska towns we compare have a higher January low than Petersburg.
| Petersburg | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 62°F | 66°F | 85°F |
| January low | 27°F | 7°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 14.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 88% of Alaska’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 2 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The median property tax bill is $1,929, against $3,901 across Alaska, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Petersburg home is worth about $387,000, up 12.9% in a year, close to the Alaska typical home. Among 41 Alaska towns, just 3 have a lower median rent than Petersburg.
| Petersburg | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,082 a month | $1,412 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Petersburg; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Petersburg residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Alaska.
3 places in Petersburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Alaska
Petersburg is a census-designated place (CDP) in and essentially the borough seat of Petersburg Borough, Alaska, United States. The population was 3,043 at the 2020 census, up from 2,948 in 2010. The town is the headquarters of the Petersburg Indian Association, a federally recognized tribe of Tlingit people. The borough encompasses Petersburg and Kupreanof, plus mostly uninhabited areas stretching to the Canadian–American border and the southern boundary of the City and Borough of Juneau. While the city of Petersburg ceased to exist as a separate administrative entity (the borough assembly created a service area to assume operation of the former city's services), the tiny city of Kupreanof…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Petersburg.
| Town | AK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petersburg | #1 | A | B | B | A+ | B+ |
| Kupreanof | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Kupreanof isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Petersburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Petersburg grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #1 of 41 in Alaska. It grades B+ for health, B for safety and A+ for schools.
That is 5.1 years of the area's median household income ($75,125 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 B.
2 notable people were born here, including Elizabeth Peratrovich and Rosita Worl.
