Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Place dossier plate
SheetAK-NOME-AK · Nome, AK 3,668 pop · income 85th pct · 2 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Nome
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Nome on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Thomasville · lowest
43,669
Thomasville · lowest
43,669 median HH income
19.3% of the leader · rank #1
Nome · this city
113,561
Nome · this city
113,561 median HH income
50.3% of the leader · rank #2
Auxier · near
113,565
Auxier · near
113,565 median HH income
50.3% of the leader · rank #3
Hauula · near
113,571
Hauula · near
113,571 median HH income
50.3% of the leader · rank #4
Bryantown · near
113,580
Bryantown · near
113,580 median HH income
50.3% of the leader · rank #5
Hide-A-Way Hi… · near
113,580
Hide-A-Way Hi… · near
113,580 median HH income
50.3% of the leader · rank #6
Frontenac · highest
225,813
Frontenac · highest
225,813 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Nome on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 3,668.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Nome - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Nome places in the 85th percentile for household income and the 45th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
85th
percentile, household income
70th
percentile, home value
70th
percentile, median rent
45th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Nome, AK
Nome is a small town in Alaska, home to 3,668 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Nome brings in $113,561 a year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 6.8%. Home values in Nome run a median of $338,900, and the median resident age is 31.6 years. 24.4% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 65.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 3 residential building permits were authorized in Nome (Construction Slowdown), down 50% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Nome reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1546.5 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Alaska tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Alaska at 102.4 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Near Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,467 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $271 across Alaska, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 35.2 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Nome's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to housing and income to reported crime to schools and households to within-city variation to work and mobility to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Nome, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, local building permits, matched public-school count, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
Which cities make useful reference points for Nome?
Within Alaska, the closest population matches are Mill Bay (3,541 residents, $94,359 income); Butte (3,905 residents, $105,625 income); Valdez (3,911 residents, $97,067 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Thomasville, AL (3,668 residents); Rexland Acres, CA (3,667 residents); Indian Rocks Beach, FL (3,667 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
How far does income reach against housing in Nome?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 6.8%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1546.5 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 32% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Nome?
The NCES join finds 4 public schools within the city match. 24.4% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
4
Bachelor's degree+
24.4%
Poverty estimate
6.8%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 48.5%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.5%
Work from home
8.0%
Drive alone
48.5%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 1,736 workers age 16+.
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -35 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.9% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 3 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-0.9%
2025 estimate
3,653
2020 estimate
3,688
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Household income A-
$113,561
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate C-
6.8%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share D
24.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Cost of living F
102.4 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime F
829 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Nome profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 83/100 (A-) · $113,561
Poverty rate: 54/100 (C-) · 6.8%
Bachelor's+ share: 47/100 (D) · 24.4%
Cost of living: 29/100 (F) · 102.4 index
Violent crime: 0/100 (F) · 829 /100k
Where Nome sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Nome's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Nome highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Nome, AK (this city): home $338,900, crime 1,547/100k
Thomasville, AL : home $177,000, crime 3,218/100k
Indian Rocks Beach, FL : home $707,700, crime 1,764/100k
Frontenac, MO : home $1,004,500, crime 1,991/100k
Rutherfordton, NC : home $226,900, crime 3,621/100k
Valdez, AK : home $312,400, crime 466/100k
Petersburg, AK : home $298,500, crime 808/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Nome compare to other US cities?
Here's how Nome stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income85% higher than other cities
Home value70% pricier than other cities
Median rent70% pricier than other cities
Safety45% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Alaska and the picture shifts: Nome ranks #15 of 23 Alaska cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Nome against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Alaska only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Alaska-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Nome near the bottom of Alaska's cities
Among the 228 Alaska cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Nome ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Nome only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#10 of 215
95th percentile in Alaska
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 228
0th percentile in Alaska
Median Home Value
#28 of 200
86th percentile in Alaska
Poverty Rate
#142 of 225
36th percentile in Alaska
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#70 of 228
69th percentile in Alaska
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Alaska only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
85th percentile nationally for median household income · 45th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Nome's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Nome's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Nome's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$338,90030th percentilemore affordable than 30% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Nome's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#6,607 of 15,516
More affordable than 57% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#5,607 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.0×, Nome sits in the affordable band:
national rank #6,607 of 15,516 and #5,607 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$113,561Nome, AK median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Nome, AK median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Nome, AK.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)24.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)6.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)65.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
3,668
Median Income
$113,561
Median Home Value
$338,900
Median Age
31.6
Poverty Rate
6.8%
Labor force participation
65.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
24.4%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1546.5
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
828.5
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
718.0
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Nome's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
3,688 residents
2021
3,653 residents
2022
3,632 residents
2023
3,630 residents
2024
3,641 residents
2025
3,653 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
3
housing units authorized
Single-Family
3
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.8
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
6
4
2
$1.1M
2020
8
8
0
$1.4M
2021
8
2
6
$0.7M
2022
1
1
0
$0.3M
2023
1
1
0
$0.3M
2024
3
3
0
$1.0M
Permit volume decreased 50% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
48.5%
Carpool
15.1%
Public Transit
0.5%
Walk
18.9%
Work from Home
8.0%
Other
9.0%
Based on 1,736 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Alaska statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $271
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Alaska at $271 (electricity about $131 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are Alaska statewide averages, not a meter reading for Nome. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Alaska's BEA cost-of-living index is 102.4 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Nome is $1,467/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Alaska statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 35.2 / 100 (Very Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Alaska statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Nome sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Nome compares to similar-size Alaska cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.