Northwest Arctic Borough is home to 7,440 residents and includes Kotzebue and Selawik · Updated November 2026
Is Northwest Arctic Borough, AK safe?
Yes, crime in Northwest Arctic Borough is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A-. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Northwest Arctic Borough sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 45% of Americans live. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A+ against B+. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Northwest Arctic Borough run from A to C, so check the map below.
A-
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 810 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
45% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Northwest Arctic Borough as a whole, and 55% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Northwest Arctic Borough scores 810.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Northwest Arctic Borough, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out in Northwest Arctic Borough
Aggravated assault stands out among A-graded counties. For the typical resident of an A-graded US county, the figure is 1.6 aggravated assaults a year per 1,000 residents; Northwest Arctic Borough has 7.2.
Theft runs low. Northwest Arctic Borough has 3.4 thefts a year per 1,000 residents, a small fraction of the US rate of 13.1.
Crime rates and types in Northwest Arctic Borough
CrimeGrade™ estimates Northwest Arctic Borough has about 39 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 6% more than the US as a whole and close to Alaska.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
Assault is the most common crime in Northwest Arctic Borough, about 68% of everything reported, and it also accounts for the largest share of what crime costs here.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
How Northwest Arctic Borough compares with nearby counties
Of the 10 counties closest to Northwest Arctic Borough, 8 have less crime. Denali Borough and Southeast Fairbanks Census Area have the least.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Northwest Arctic Borough. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with counties of similar size and density, Northwest Arctic Borough has more crime than 91% of them.
Shops, empty homes and walkability in Northwest Arctic Borough
Two things set Northwest Arctic Borough apart: it has 4.0 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 18.3% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places with few stores and restaurants tend to report less theft, and it runs low here.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.4.0 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 99% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.18.3% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 99% of Americans
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 74% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (18 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 58% of Americans
Show all 6
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Northwest Arctic Borough: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.52% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 82% of Americans
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.22% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 59% of Americans
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What crime costs Northwest Arctic Borough
Crime costs Northwest Arctic Borough about $2,399 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, about double the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $20 million a year, or $2,742 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.0 million
$136
Rape
$530,000
$71
Robbery
$48,000
$6
Assault
$2.6 million
$347
Burglary
$120,000
$17
Theft
$130,000
$18
Vehicle theft
$87,000
$12
Arson
$20,000
$3
Vandalism
$270,000
$36
Total
$4.8 million
$646
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Northwest Arctic Borough means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
Schools in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK average a SchoolGrade of F: 6% of students test proficient, against 15% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in Northwest Arctic Borough on SchoolGrade
