Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Virginia instead of Alaska, you would:
Health
live 1.0 years longer
In Alaska, the average life expectancy is 77 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2020. In Virginia, that number is 78 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020.
be 10.7% more likely to be obese
In Alaska, 31.9% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Virginia, that number is 35.3% of people as of 2022.
be 32.2% more likely to have diabetes
In Alaska, 8.7% of adults have diabetes as of 2022. In Virginia, that number is 11.5% as of 2022.
Economy
be 32.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Alaska, 5.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In Virginia, that number is 3.4% as of 2025.
Safety
be 67.9% less likely to be a victim of violent crime
Alaska has a violent crime rate of 722 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Virginia, that number is 232 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 12.8% less likely to be a victim of property crime
Alaska has a property crime rate of 1,868 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Virginia, that number is 1,628 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Lifestyle
be 37.4% less likely to be uninsured
In Alaska, 10.7% of the population is without health insurance as of 2023. In Virginia, that number is 6.7% as of 2023.
be 18.5% less likely to smoke
In Alaska, 16.8% of adults smoke as of 2022. In Virginia, that number is 13.7% as of 2022.
live among residents who are 3.2 years older on average
The median age in Alaska is 35.6 years as of 2023. In Virginia, the median age is 38.8 years as of 2023.
be 34.3% more likely to have a bachelor's degree
In Alaska, 20.7% of the population holds a bachelor's degree or higher as of 2023. In Virginia, that number is 27.8% as of 2023.
be 83.3% more likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In Alaska, 3.0% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In Virginia, that number is 5.5% as of 2023.
be 25.5% less likely to be food insecure
In Alaska, 10.6% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In Virginia, that number is 7.9% as of 2021.
commute 8.1 minutes longer
The average one-way commute in Alaska takes 19.5 minutes as of 2023. In Virginia, it takes 27.6 minutes as of 2023.
live in an area that is 170.4 times more densely populated
Alaska has a population density of 0.5 people per sq km as of 2023. In Virginia, that number is 85.2 people per sq km as of 2023.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Feeding America, OECD Regional Demography, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting.
