Kotzebue, AK

Census Place

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2024 Population
2,984
US Senator
Lisa Murkowski
Republican Party
US Senator
Dan Sullivan
Republican Party
US Representative
Nick Begich III
Republican Party
2024 Poverty Rate
14.4%
7.19% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$110,357
3.79% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$288,400
9.04% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
1,372
3.99% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Kotzebue, 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.

98.6% of the residents in Kotzebue, AK are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Kotzebue, AK was $288,400, and the homeownership rate was 48%.

Most people in Kotzebue, AK walked to work, and the average commute time was 6.11 minutes. The average car ownership in Kotzebue, AK was 1 car per household.

United StatesAlaskaNorthwest Arctic Borough, AKSubsistence Alaska PUMA, AK

Population & Diversity

Kotzebue, AK is home to a population of 2.98k people, from which 98.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.25% of Kotzebue, AK residents were born outside of the country (67 people).

In 2024, there were 3.27 times more American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.87k people) in Kotzebue, AK than any other race or ethnicity. There were 573 White (Non-Hispanic) and 310 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.6%
2024 Citizenship
99%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.6% of Kotzebue, AK residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Kotzebue, AK was 99%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Kotzebue, 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 Kotzebue, AK
  1. American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
    1.87k ± 134
  2. White (Non-Hispanic)
    573 ± 32
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    310 ± 83
5.7%
Hispanic Population
170 people

In 2024, there were 3.27 times more American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.87k people) in Kotzebue, AK than any other race or ethnicity. There were 573 White (Non-Hispanic) and 310 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

5.7% of the people in Kotzebue, AK are hispanic (170 people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place 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

2.25%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
67 people
2.76%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
84 people

As of 2024, 2.25% of Kotzebue, AK residents (67 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 Kotzebue, AK was 2.76%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (1990s)
    63 ± 57
  2. Vietnam
    34 ± 20
  3. Gulf War (2001-)
    17 ± 16

Kotzebue, AK has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (1990s), 1.85 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Kotzebue, AK.

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Economy

The economy of Kotzebue, AK employs 1.37k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Kotzebue, AK were Public Administration (340 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (326 people), and Educational Services (158 people), and the highest paying industries were Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($103,125), Construction ($91,250), and Educational Services ($90,500).

Employment

Occupations

1.37k
2024 Value
± 259
−3.99%
1 Year decline
± 25.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kotzebue, AK declined at a rate of −3.99%, from 1.43k employees to 1.37k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Kotzebue, AK, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (237 people), Construction & Extraction Occupations (146 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (130 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Kotzebue, 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

1.37k
2024 Value
± 259
−3.99%
1 Year decline
± 25.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kotzebue, AK declined at a rate of −3.99%, from 1.43k employees to 1.37k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Kotzebue, AK, are Public Administration (340 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (326 people), and Educational Services (158 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Kotzebue, AK, though some of these residents may live in Kotzebue, 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

$73,232
Median earning men ± $8,119
$69,474
Median earning women ± $19,183

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Construction ($91,250), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($87,500), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($78,500).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($86,852), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($73,750), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($72,679).

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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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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.

Kotzebue, 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 Kotzebue, 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 Kotzebue, AK

Nick Begich III
District at-large Representative
Republican Party

Kotzebue, 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 Kotzebue, AK have changed over time starting in 2008.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Kotzebue, AK was $288,400 in 2024, which is 0.867 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $264,500 to $288,400, a 9.04% increase. The homeownership rate in Kotzebue, AK is 48%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Kotzebue, AK have an average commute time of 6.11 minutes, and they walked to work. Car ownership in Kotzebue, AK is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

Housing

Property

$288,400
Median Property Value 2024
±$31,220
$382
Median Property Taxes
±$64

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 Kotzebue, AK the largest share of households pay taxes in the None range.

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

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Rent vs Own

48%
Homeownership
2024
63%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 48% of the housing units in Kotzebue, AK were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 43.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Kotzebue, 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.
$110,357
Median Household Income
± $8,590
796
Number of Households
± 89

In 2024, the median household income of the 796 households in Kotzebue, AK grew to $110,357 from the previous year's value of $106,328.

The following chart displays the households in Kotzebue, 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 $200k+ range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Kotzebue, 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 (44.4%)
  2. Drove Alone (23.4%)
  3. Carpooled (17.2%)

In 2024, 44.4% of workers in Kotzebue, AK walked to work, followed by those who drove alone to work (23.4%) and those who carpooled to work (17.2%).

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

6.11 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Kotzebue, AK have a shorter commute time (6.11 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0% of the workforce in Kotzebue, AK have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Car Ownership

1 car
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Kotzebue, AK distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Kotzebue, AK have 1 car.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

14.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Kotzebue, AK (422 out of 2.93k 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 Females < 5, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 6 - 11.

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

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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Health

82.5% of the population of Kotzebue, AK has health coverage, with 44.6% on employee plans, 23.7% on Medicaid, 3.95% on Medicare, 9.6% on non-group plans, and 0.647% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Alaska see 1,033 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,033 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 954 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 131 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.6% were men and 52.4% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 34.7% under 18 years, 22.2% between 18 and 34 years, 35.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 7.56% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.6% were men and 52.4% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

17.5%
Uninsured
44.6%
Employer Coverage
23.7%
Medicaid
3.95%
Medicare
9.6%
Non-Group
0.647%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Kotzebue, AK declined by 10.9% from 19.6% to 17.5%.

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

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