Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town settled in 1897, now home to 1,174 people.
The best of Skagway’s subject grades are an A+ for schools and the outdoors and an A− for walkability. Skagway’s average commute is 5 minutes, where Alaska’s towns sit at 21 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Among 19 Alaska towns, just one has a lower violent crime rate than Skagway. 52% of the land in Skagway is conserved, where Alaska’s towns sit at 15% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. On the outdoors, just 1 of Alaska’s 69 towns do better. Skagway's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 94% of U.S. towns. Skagway has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Skagway 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 Skagway is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
![Looking toward Tiaih now Dyhia [i.e., Dyea] & Skagway](https://images.townratings.com/story/35811/c8690e0341edbe1de0ed-l.jpg)
Census counts: 3,117 in 1900, a low of 492 in 1930, 1,164 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1894 and 3 maps from 1949 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Skagway. Close and well known come first.
in town National Historical ParkKlondike Gold Rush National Historical Park1.5M visitors a year
28 mi National PreserveGlacier Bay National Preserve740K visitors a year
34 mi LighthouseEldred Rock Light
17 mi MuseumHammer Museum (Haines, AK)Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Glacier Bay National Preserve: Janquen at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eldred Rock Light: United States Coast Guard, Public domain · Hammer Museum (Haines, AK): Mycota at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Skagway is unincorporated, so Skagway Municipality 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 Skagway.
The biggest park or preserve is Tongass National Forest, at 332 acres. Across 4 parks and preserves: 14 miles of trail. The trail network density for Skagway comes to 1.5 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Skagway Centennial Park | 0.4 mi | 7 |
| 2. Tongass National Forest | 0.1 mi | 332 |
| 3. Seven Pastures | — | 35 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Skagway School District. The town’s only public school teaches 138 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skagway SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 138 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
52% of Skagway’s expected losses from natural hazards come from cold waves, followed by earthquakes at 26%. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 98% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Nearly a tenth of Skagway adults have diabetes. The share of adults in Skagway who had a checkup this year: 67%.
| Skagway | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 67% | 68% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 8.8% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Skagway | AK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9% | 13.5% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 6.9% | 9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
16% of residents are under 18 in Skagway. Children under 18 are 16% of residents (24% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (37% statewide). The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 29%, against 32% across Alaska.
| Skagway | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 16% | 24% | 22% |
| Median age | 40.5 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
62% women, 38% men
About 61 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±7.2 points). Across Alaska, 47.5% of residents are women. Among residents 75 and older, 78% are women (AK 53%).
| Skagway | AK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.3% | 13.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.1% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17% | 15.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.8% | 14.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 17.7% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.6% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.2% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.5% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.3% | 28.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.6% | 24% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.3% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.5% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.8% | 11.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
Skagway’s rate of thefts and burglaries comes in at 12.9 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Skagway; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Skagway residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alaska.
52.3% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
Consolidated city-borough in Alaska, US
The Municipality and Borough of Skagway (Tlingit: Shg̱agwei) is a borough and city in the U.S. state of Alaska, on the Alaska Panhandle. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,240, up from 968 in 2010. The population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with the large number of summer tourists each year. Incorporated as a borough on June 25, 2007, it was previously a city (urban Skagway located at 59°27′30″N 135°18′50″W) in the Skagway-Yakutat-Angoon Census Area (now the Hoonah–Angoon Census Area, Alaska). The most populated community is the census-designated place of Skagway. Skagway, on the Taiya Inlet, was an important saltwater port during the Klondike Gold Rush. T…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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 Horatio Nelson Lay and Lucy Ann Johnson.
