Bethel Census Area, AK

County

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2024 Population
18,394
US Senator
Lisa Murkowski
Republican Party
US Senator
Dan Sullivan
Republican Party
US Representative
Nick Begich III
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
29
1.05% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
25.6%
6.56% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$73,996
4.79% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$168,100
39.4% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
6,539
0.381% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Bethel Census Area, AK reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.3% of the residents in Bethel Census Area, AK are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Bethel Census Area, AK was $168,100, and the homeownership rate was 61.6%.

Most people in Bethel Census Area, AK walked to work, and the average commute time was 7.43 minutes. The average car ownership in Bethel Census Area, AK was 0 cars per household.

United StatesAlaska

Population & Diversity

Bethel Census Area, AK is home to a population of 18.4k people, from which 99.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.75% of Bethel Census Area, AK residents were born outside of the country (322 people).

In 2024, there were 10 times more American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents (15.3k people) in Bethel Census Area, AK than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.53k White (Non-Hispanic) and 762 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.3%
2024 Citizenship
99.2%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.3% of Bethel Census Area, AK residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Bethel Census Area, AK was 99.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Bethel Census Area, AK compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Bethel Census Area, AK
  1. American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
    15.3k ± 162
  2. White (Non-Hispanic)
    1.53k ± 26
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    762 ± 157
1.47%
Hispanic Population
270 people

In 2024, there were 10 times more American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents (15.3k people) in Bethel Census Area, AK than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.53k White (Non-Hispanic) and 762 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

1.47% of the people in Bethel Census Area, AK are hispanic (270 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Bethel Census Area, AK as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Alaska.
Most Common Origin
  1. Philippines
    21,500 ± 3,547 people
  2. Korea
    3,560 ± 1,461 people
  3. Mexico
    3,032 ± 1,349 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Alaska was Philippines, the natal country of 21,500 Alaska residents, followed by Korea with 3,560 and Mexico with 3,032.

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Foreign-Born Population

1.75%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
322 people
2.02%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
373 people

As of 2024, 1.75% of Bethel Census Area, AK residents (322 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Bethel Census Area, AK was 2.02%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Bethel Census Area, AK compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    338 ± 167
  2. Vietnam
    177 ± 61
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    170 ± 54

Bethel Census Area, AK has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.91 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Bethel Census Area, AK.

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Economy

The economy of Bethel Census Area, AK employs 6.54k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Bethel Census Area, AK were Public Administration (1,688 people), Educational Services (960 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (903 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($86,875), Construction ($68,875), and Finance & Insurance ($62,917).

Employment

Occupations

6.54k
2024 Value
± 409
−0.381%
1 Year decline
± 12.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bethel Census Area, AK declined at a rate of −0.381%, from 6.56k employees to 6.54k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Bethel Census Area, AK, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,220 people), Management Occupations (895 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (496 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Bethel Census Area, AK.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Alaska.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Alaska (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

6.54k
2024 Value
± 409
−0.381%
1 Year decline
± 12.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bethel Census Area, AK declined at a rate of −0.381%, from 6.56k employees to 6.54k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Bethel Census Area, AK, are Public Administration (1,688 people), Educational Services (960 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (903 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Bethel Census Area, AK, though some of these residents may live in Bethel Census Area, AK and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$43,722
Median earning men ± $5,150
$42,378
Median earning women ± $4,557

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Construction ($68,875), Public Administration ($60,000), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($56,250).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($62,750), Other Services Except Public Administration ($59,306), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($52,188).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Alaska.
Y-Axis
3.6%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 317k people employed in Alaska. This represents a 3.6% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.7%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Alaska.

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Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments
  1. 27
    Other Services (except Public Administration)
  2. 18
    Retail Trade
  3. 16
    Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

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Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll
  1. $59.5k
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  2. $24.8k
    Retail Trade
  3. $22.8k
    Transportation and Warehousing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Alaska went to Donald J. Trump with 54.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (41.4%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.68%).

Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan are the senators currently representing the state of Alaska. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Bethel Census Area, AK is currently represented by Nick Begich III in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Bethel Census Area, AK. Showing the available data for Alaska.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (54.5%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (41.4%)
    Democratic Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (1.68%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Alaska went to Donald J. Trump with 54.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (41.4%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.68%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Alaska for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Alaska

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Alaska.
Lisa Murkowski
Senator from Alaska3
Assumed office on December 20, 2002
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of her father Frank Murkowski, who was elected Governor of Alaska.
Dan Sullivan
Senator from Alaska2
Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan are the senators currently representing Alaska.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Alaska over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Bethel Census Area, AK

Nick Begich III
District at-large Representative
Republican Party

Bethel Census Area, AK is currently represented by Nick Begich III (Republican Party).

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the member for Bethel Census Area, AK have changed over time starting in 2008.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Bethel Census Area, AK was $168,100 in 2024, which is 0.505 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $120,600 to $168,100, a 39.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Bethel Census Area, AK is 61.6%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Bethel Census Area, AK have an average commute time of 7.43 minutes, and they walked to work. Car ownership in Bethel Census Area, AK is lower than the national average, with an average of 0 cars per household.

In 2025, 55.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Bethel Census Area, AK. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 6.74%.

Housing

Property

$168,100
Median Property Value 2024
±$13,614
$2,972
Median Property Taxes
±$192

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Bethel Census Area, AK the largest share of households pay taxes in the None range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Bethel Census Area, AK compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

61.6%
Homeownership
2024
63.8%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 61.6% of the housing units in Bethel Census Area, AK were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 60.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Bethel Census Area, AK compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$73,996
Median Household Income
± $3,210
4.83k
Number of Households
± 279

In 2024, the median household income of the 4.83k households in Bethel Census Area, AK grew to $73,996 from the previous year's value of $70,616.

The following chart displays the households in Bethel Census Area, AK distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Bethel Census Area, AK is from Alaska.
0.432
2023 Wage GINI in Alaska
0.436
2022 Wage GINI in Alaska

In 2023, the income inequality in Alaska was 0.432 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.907% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Alaska was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Alaska in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Alaska across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Walked (30.4%)
  2. Drove Alone (22.6%)
  3. Other (22%)

In 2024, 30.4% of workers in Bethel Census Area, AK walked to work, followed by those who drove alone to work (22.6%) and those who used some unspecified means to get work (22%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

7.43 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Bethel Census Area, AK have a shorter commute time (7.43 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.168% of the workforce in Bethel Census Area, AK have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Bethel Census Area, AK compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 55.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Bethel Census Area, AK. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 6.74%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

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Poverty & Diversity

25.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Bethel Census Area, AK (4.63k out of 18.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 6 - 11, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Males < 5.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Bethel Census Area, AK is Native American, followed by Two Or More and White.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Children in Poverty

In 2025, 36.2% of the children was living in poverty in Bethel Census Area, AK. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.1%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

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Health

88% of the population of Bethel Census Area, AK has health coverage, with 21.6% on employee plans, 55% on Medicaid, 3.72% on Medicare, 6.55% on non-group plans, and 1.14% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Bethel Census Area, AK see 1,160 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,160 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 630 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 35 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.7% were men and 47.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,160 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Bethel Census Area, AK

Primary care physicians in Bethel Census Area, AK see an average of 1,160 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,160 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Bethel Census Area, AK in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

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Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 36.9% under 18 years, 23.3% between 18 and 34 years, 31.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 8.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.7% were men and 47.3% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

12%
Uninsured
21.6%
Employer Coverage
55%
Medicaid
3.72%
Medicare
6.55%
Non-Group
1.14%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Bethel Census Area, AK declined by 6.73% from 12.9% to 12%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Bethel Census Area, AK changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 200 in Bethel Census Area, AK.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Bethel Census Area, AK.

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Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 41.5% in Bethel Census Area, AK.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Bethel Census Area, AK.

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Clinical Care

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 14.2% in Bethel Census Area, AK.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Bethel Census Area, AK.

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