Subarctic (dry summer)
Big Lake, Alaska
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska · Population 3.3k · 141 ft elevation
Living in Big Lake
Big Lake has a subarctic (dry summer) climate: cool summers (July highs around 68°F) and bitterly cold winters (January lows around 8°F).
Precipitation is dry at about 14″ a year, and it is a snowy place (71″ a season).
Skies are gray (45% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is excellent: a median AQI of 9, with about 2 unhealthy-air days in the latest year.
Big Lake is an outdoor hub: about 24% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 3,200 ft around town.
Big Lake at a glance
- Population
- 3.3k
- Elevation
- 141 ft
- Average daily high
- 45°F0th percentile
- Average daily low
- 30°F1th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 14″8th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 71″95th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 2,107 hrs0th percentile
- Median AQI
- 90th percentile
- Median home value
- $287k55th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,165/mo48th percentile
- Median household income
- $76k51th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 1.04%54th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 0.0%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 1.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.9%
- Homes with broadband
- 89%38th percentile
- Walkability index
- 5.68th percentile
- Average commute
- 40 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 28%22th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 37%
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 9357th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 9291th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 15%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 24%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 3,248 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23°F | 8°F | 0.5″ | 12.5″ | 78 hrs |
| Feb | 28°F | 12°F | 0.7″ | 11.7″ | 100 hrs |
| Mar | 34°F | 17°F | 0.5″ | 8.9″ | 198 hrs |
| Apr | 47°F | 30°F | 0.3″ | 4.5″ | 250 hrs |
| May | 58°F | 41°F | 0.6″ | 0.4″ | 283 hrs |
| Jun | 66°F | 50°F | 1.0″ | — | 287 hrs |
| Jul | 68°F | 54°F | 1.7″ | — | 269 hrs |
| Aug | 66°F | 51°F | 2.5″ | — | 231 hrs |
| Sep | 57°F | 43°F | 3.0″ | 0.4″ | 168 hrs |
| Oct | 43°F | 30°F | 1.6″ | 3.5″ | 107 hrs |
| Nov | 29°F | 16°F | 0.9″ | 12.3″ | 75 hrs |
| Dec | 25°F | 11°F | 0.9″ | 16.3″ | 63 hrs |
Near Big Lake
- Knik-Fairview, AK · 19k
- Meadow Lakes, AK · 9k
- Wasilla, AK · 9.4k
- Tanaina, AK · 9.7k
- South Lakes, AK · 6.1k
- North Lakes, AK · 11k
- Gateway, AK · 6.7k
- Fishhook, AK · 5.5k
Largest places in Alaska
- Anchorage, AK · 289k
- Fairbanks, AK · 32k
- Juneau, AK · 32k
- Badger, AK · 19k
- College, AK · 12k
- Sitka, AK · 8.4k
- Ketchikan, AK · 8.2k
- Kalifornsky, AK · 8.1k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology