Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 10,556, settled in 1917. 46% more nonprofits per person than the typical Alaska town.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Overall it grades C−, better than 16% of U.S. towns. Its public schools beat 77% of Alaska towns on state tests and graduation. Its weakest subject is safety: its crime rate is higher than 91% of U.S. towns, with 44 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Wasilla’s property crime rate is 34.5 per 1,000 residents, above both Alaska’s towns (8.9) and U.S. towns (9.9). Wasilla's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 99% of U.S. towns. The median household income is $67K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line.
Where Wasilla beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Iditarod Elementary | PK–5 | 424 |
| Wasilla Middle School | 6–8 | 584 |
| Wasilla High School | 9–12 | 816 |
7,831 counted in 2010 and 9,054 in 2020; an estimated 10,556 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 16.5% since 2020, after 15.6% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far Wasilla is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 51 in 1930, 9,054 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and 3 maps from 1950 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wasilla, and how to reach them.
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 Wasilla.
Wasilla has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has many renters stretched by housing costs.
Wasilla’s violent crime rate is 4.1 per 1,000 residents. Wasilla reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 91% report less. Within Alaska, it does better than 29% of towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Mat-Su Central School, with 2,780 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wasilla Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 584 | B |
| Wasilla High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 816 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
Since 2012, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wasilla.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Matanuska Exp Farm weather station, 7 miles away, 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, 7 miles away, 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.
Wasilla has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. The July high in Wasilla is 68°F.
| Wasilla | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 68°F | 66°F | 85°F |
| January low | 7°F | 7°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.7 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Lake Lucile Park, at 85 acres.
| Wasilla | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.1% | 15% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Lucile Park | 0.1 mi | 85 |
| 2. Iditapark | 0.1 mi | 33 |
| 3. Cottonwood Creek Park | — | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Adults 35 to 64 are 33% of residents (37% statewide). Wasilla has grown 17% since 2020, to 10,556 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 22% of Wasilla adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Wasilla | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 34.8 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 13% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 24% | 22% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Alaska, 47.5% of residents are women.
| Wasilla | AK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.2% | 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 | 18.5% | 15.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.6% | 14.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.3% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.8% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.4% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.9% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.9% | 28.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.5% | 24% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.3% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.5% | 11.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 10,239 U.S. towns with household incomes like Wasilla’s, it is healthier than 59%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Wasilla beats the Alaska average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 71% of adults had a checkup this year in Wasilla. Among 41 Alaska towns, just 1 have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Wasilla.
| Wasilla | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 68% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Wasilla | AK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 7.6% | 6.1% |
| More adults with arthritis | 27.4% | 23.3% |
| More smokers | 18.5% | 16% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
64.8% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 44.6% across Alaska.
The typical Wasilla home is worth about $423,000, up 5.7% in a year, 6% above the Alaska typical home.
| Wasilla | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,153 a month | $1,412 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Wasilla
About 3 of every 100 Wasilla residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Alaska.
6 places in Wasilla on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Wasilla.
City in Alaska, United States
Wasilla (Denaʼina: Benteh) is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States, and the fourth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the state. The city's population was 9,054 at the 2020 census, up from 7,831 in 2010. Wasilla is the largest city in the borough and a part of the Anchorage metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 398,328 in 2020. Established at the intersection of the Alaska Railroad and Old Carle Wagon Road, the city prospered at the expense of the nearby mining town of Knik. Historically entrepreneurial, the economic base shifted in the 1970s from small-…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Wasilla.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Meadow Lakes (C−) is closest.
| Town | AK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wasilla | #40 | C− | C+ | D | A− | C+ |
| South Lakes | #8 | B | C+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Meadow Lakes | #35 | C− | C+ | — | A− | B− |
| Knik-Fairview | #31 | C | C | — | A− | B− |
| Tanaina | #21 | C+ | B− | — | A− | B− |
| North Lakes | #22 | C+ | C+ | — | A− | B |
| Gateway | #10 | B | C | — | A− | A− |
South Lakes, Meadow Lakes, Knik-Fairview, Tanaina, North Lakes and Gateway report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Wasilla with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Wasilla grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Alaska, it does better than 29% of towns.
That is 4.2 years of the area's median household income ($100,505 across the Anchorage, AK metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
5 notable people were born here, including Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston.
