Big Lake, Alaska

Community in Matanuska-Susitna Borough · population 3,833 (2020 Census)

Median home: $298,700
Household income: $81,406
Jan low / Jul high: 9° / 67°
Snow a year: 63 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 0
Median age: 38.8

Big Lake is a community of 3,833 people in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. The median home is worth $298,700, close to the typical Alaska town ($289,500). It ranks more of a college town than 74% of Alaska towns, better for a vacation home than 74% of Alaska towns, more vibrant than 72% of Alaska towns.

Big Lake in our rankings:

How Big Lake ranks

Percentile among Alaska towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Alaska towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Big Lake is worth $298,700, close to the typical Alaska town ($289,500). Homes cost about 3.7 times the median household income of $81,406, which is more affordable than 38% of Alaska towns. Median rent is $1,235 a month. 81.9% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Alaska towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Big Lake	Typical Alaska town
Median home value	$298,700	$289,500
Median rent	$1,235	$1,146
Median household income	$81,406	$78,155
Home value ÷ income	3.7×	3.3×
Homeownership	81.9%	72.6%
Median year built	1993	1989
Seasonal / vacation homes	40.6%	—

Who lives in Big Lake

People	Big Lake	Typical Alaska town
Median age	38.8	37.2
Age 65 and over	15.6%	13.2%
Under 18	22.7%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.4%	22.4%
Below the poverty line	11.4%	11.9%
Veterans	12.9%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.1%	—
Work from home	22.0%	7.4%
Average commute	42.7 min	12.5 min
Homes with broadband	90.6%	88.6%

Weather in Big Lake

July highs average 66.7°F and January lows 9.2°F. About 17.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 63.4 inches of snow (typical Alaska town: 64.0 in). Expect about 0 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 191 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Eagle Rvr Gakona Circle station (19.7 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

NOAA's Storm Events Database has no tornado within 10 miles of Big Lake since 1950.

Severe weather in Matanuska-Susitna Borough since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996).

Matanuska-Susitna Borough has been included in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, biological.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
April 7, 2026	Winter Storm	DR-4904: Severe Storm
March 14, 2022	Severe Storm	DR-4646: Severe Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds
April 9, 2020	Biological	DR-4533: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3446: Covid-19
August 22, 2019	Fire	FM-5290: Deshka Landing Fire

Jobs and pay in Matanuska-Susitna Borough

Matanuska-Susitna Borough had 29,515 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $58,329 a year. Unemployment was 4.8% in 2023; in Big Lake itself the ACS puts it at 3.1%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Big Lake

2 public schools with 692 students, about 13.8 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Houston High School	9-12	372	14.3
Big Lake Elementary	PK-5	320	13.3

Towns near Big Lake

Knik-Fairview, AK
11.6 mi · 19,297 people · home $340,200
Meadow Lakes, AK
14.7 mi · 9,197 people · home $323,100
Wasilla, AK
17.5 mi · 9,054 people · home $358,400
Tanaina, AK
20.5 mi · 8,817 people · home $328,500
South Lakes, AK
22.3 mi · 5,229 people · home $377,500
North Lakes, AK
23.0 mi · 9,450 people · home $357,600
Gateway, AK
25.0 mi · 5,748 people · home $446,200
Fishhook, AK
27.2 mi · 5,048 people · home $416,300

Big Lake questions

Is Big Lake, Alaska a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Big Lake scores better for retirees than 50% of Alaska towns and quieter than 67%. 15.6% of residents are 65 or older (median age 38.8).

How much does a house cost in Big Lake?

The median owner-occupied home in Big Lake is valued at $298,700 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $81,406, so homes cost about 3.7 times income. Median rent is $1,235 a month.

What is the weather like in Big Lake?

July highs average 66.7°F and January lows 9.2°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 17.7 inches of precipitation a year and 63.4 inches of snow.

Does Big Lake get tornadoes?

No tornado has been recorded within 10 miles of Big Lake in NOAA's Storm Events Database since 1950.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Big Lake's Census boundary (GEOID 0207070). Comparisons use the median of Alaska towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.