Population
Anchorage
289,069
Surprise
149,519
Median Income
Anchorage
$98,152
Surprise
$93,371
Home Value
Anchorage
$375,900
Surprise
$396,000
Rent
Anchorage
$1,453
Surprise
$1,917
Crime Rate
Anchorage
10.15
Surprise
1.09
Cost of Living
Anchorage
151.7
Surprise
151.6
Avg Temp
Anchorage
N/A
Surprise
N/A
Unemployment
Anchorage
4.6%
Surprise
4.2%
How Similar Are Anchorage & Surprise?
Surprise is Anchorage's #25 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Anchorage
289,069
Surprise
149,519
Anchorage has a 48% larger population than Surprise.
Violent Crime
Anchorage
10.15
Surprise
1.09
Anchorage's violent crime is significantly higher than Surprise's — 89% difference.
Property Crime
Anchorage
27.66
Surprise
8.76
Anchorage's property crime is significantly higher than Surprise's — 68% difference.
Political Leaning
Anchorage
43.7%
Surprise
51.2%
Anchorage leans Democratic while Surprise leans Republican.
Unemployment
Anchorage
4.6%
Surprise
4.2%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 7% difference.
Median Income
Anchorage
$98,152
Surprise
$93,371
Both cities have similar median income — just a 5% difference.
Home Values
Anchorage
$375,900
Surprise
$396,000
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
Anchorage
25.1%
Surprise
21.4%
Anchorage has a 15% higher education than Surprise.
Demographics
Anchorage
58.3%
Surprise
75.0%
Surprise has a 22% higher demographics than Anchorage.
Cost of Living
Anchorage
151.7
Surprise
151.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 0% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Anchorage and Surprise share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Anchorage
0
Surprise
Anchorage leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Anchorage leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDAnchorage has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,243 vs $1,583 in Surprise (21% lower). Surprise scores 124.4 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 150.0 in Anchorage. Anchorage has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,631 vs $1,839 in Surprise (11% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Surprise leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSurprise has a median property tax of $1,811 vs $4,865 in Anchorage (169% lower). Surprise has a single-family homes of 87.0% compared to 60.6% in Anchorage. Anchorage has a median rent of $1,453 vs $1,917 in Surprise (24% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Surprise leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAnchorage: 158,566 vs Surprise: 69,460 for labor force. Surprise has a work from home of 17.6% compared to 9.6% in Anchorage. Anchorage has a per capita income of $49,338 vs $39,604 in Surprise (25% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Surprise leads
Source: FBI UCRSurprise has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.11 compared to 1.67 in Anchorage. Surprise has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 1.09 compared to 10.15 in Anchorage. Surprise has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.74 compared to 6.77 in Anchorage.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Anchorage leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauAnchorage has a bachelor's degree or higher of 25.1% compared to 21.4% in Surprise. Anchorage has a high school diploma or higher of 41.4% compared to 38.8% in Surprise.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAnchorage has a population of 289,069, about 1.9x the size of Surprise (149,519). Anchorage skews younger with a median age of 34.9 vs 41.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Anchorage
Surprise
Healthcare — Anchorage leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAnchorage: 4 vs Surprise: 3 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Anchorage leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAnchorage has a public transit of 1.4% compared to 0.1% in Surprise. Anchorage has a bicycle of 0.6% compared to 0.2% in Surprise. Surprise has a work from home of 17.6% compared to 9.6% in Anchorage.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Anchorage, AK
Compare Anchorage against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.