Northwest Arctic Borough, AK

County

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2023 Population

7,611

0.924% 1-year decline

US Senator

Lisa Murkowski

Republican Party

US Senator

Dan Sullivan

Republican Party

US Representative

Nick Begich III

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

28.3

3.08% 1-year decrease

2023 Poverty Rate

18.4%

0.381% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$81,298

4.7% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$162,500

10.4% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

2,499

5.05% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Northwest Arctic Borough, AK had a population of 7.61k people with a median age of 28.3 and a median household income of $81,298. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Northwest Arctic Borough, AK declined from 7,682 to 7,611, a −0.924% decrease and its median household income grew from $77,647 to $81,298, a 4.7% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK are American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) (80.1%), White (Non-Hispanic) (9.66%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (4.93%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (2.51%), and White (Hispanic) (0.788%).

None of the households in Northwest Arctic Borough, 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.

97.9% of the residents in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK was $162,500, and the homeownership rate was 60.5%.

Most people in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK walked to work, and the average commute time was 6.41 minutes. The average car ownership in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK was 0 cars per household.

Northwest Arctic Borough, AK borders Nome Census Area, AK, North Slope Borough, AK, and Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AK.

United States Alaska

Population & Diversity

Northwest Arctic Borough, AK is home to a population of 7.61k people, from which 97.9% are citizens. As of 2023, 2.93% of Northwest Arctic Borough, AK residents were born outside of the country (223 people).

In 2023, there were 8.3 times more American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents (6.1k people) in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK than any other race or ethnicity. There were 735 White (Non-Hispanic) and 375 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.9%

2023 Citizenship

98.9%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 97.9% of Northwest Arctic Borough, AK residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK was 98.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK

American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
6.1k ± 234
White (Non-Hispanic)
735 ± 15
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
375 ± 90.3

2.09%

Hispanic Population

159 people

2.09% of the people in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK are hispanic (159 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Alaska.

Most Common Origin

Philippines
20,850 ± 3,494 people
Korea
3,574 ± 1,464 people
Mexico
3,318 ± 1,411 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Alaska was Philippines, the natal country of 20,850 Alaska residents, followed by Korea with 3,574 and Mexico with 3,318.

Foreign-Born Population

2.93%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

223 people

1.86%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

143 people

As of 2023, 2.93% of Northwest Arctic Borough, AK residents (223 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK was 1.86%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
121 ± 141
Gulf War (1990s)
76 ± 61
Gulf War (2001-)
25 ± 23

Northwest Arctic Borough, AK has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.59 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Northwest Arctic Borough, AK employs 2.5k people. The largest industries in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK are Public Administration (553 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (454 people), and Educational Services (284 people), and the highest paying industries are Wholesale Trade ($112,250), Health Care & Social Assistance ($80,875), and Construction ($74,653).

Males in Alaska have an average income that is 1.25 times higher than the average income of females, which is $65,037. The income inequality in Alaska (measured using the Gini index) is 0.436, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

2.5k

2023 Value

± 301

−5.05%

1 Year decline

± 17.6%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK declined at a rate of −5.05%, from 2.63k employees to 2.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (332 people), Construction & Extraction Occupations (266 people), and Management Occupations (224 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Northwest Arctic Borough, AK.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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

2.5k

2023 Value

± 301

−5.05%

1 Year decline

± 17.6%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK declined at a rate of −5.05%, from 2.63k employees to 2.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK, are Public Administration (553 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (454 people), and Educational Services (284 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Northwest Arctic Borough, AK, though some of these residents may live in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$47,685

Median earning men ± $9,033

$61,607

Median earning women ± $13,876

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Wholesale Trade ($150,750), Construction ($74,653), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($62,273).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($78,077), Public Administration ($67,004), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($64,722).

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.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

5
Retail Trade
4
Other Services (except Public Administration)
4
Transportation and Warehousing

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

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$101k
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
$47.7k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$15.6k
Transportation and Warehousing

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

Civics

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.

Northwest Arctic Borough, 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.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Alaska

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Alaska.

Lisa Murkowski

Senator from Alaska

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 Alaska

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.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Northwest Arctic Borough, AK

Nick Begich III

District at-large Representative

Republican Party

Northwest Arctic Borough, 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 Northwest Arctic Borough, AK have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Completions

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2022, 0.495% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.397% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (168k), Some college (147k), and Bachelors Degree (98.8k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK was $162,500 in 2023, which is 0.536 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $147,200 to $162,500, a 10.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK is 60.5%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK have an average commute time of 6.41 minutes, and they walked to work. Car ownership in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK is lower than the national average, with an average of 0 cars per household.

In 2023, 48.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 3.75%.

Housing

Property

$162,500

Median Property Value 2023

±$21,702

$1,099

Median Property Taxes

±$107

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 Northwest Arctic Borough, AK the largest share of households pay taxes in the None range.

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

Rent vs Own

60.5%

Homeownership

2023

59.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 60.5% of the housing units in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 61%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 2
Census Tract 1

The following map shows all of the tracts in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$81,298

Median Household Income

± $6,397

1.82k

Number of Households

± 134

In 2023, the median household income of the 1.82k households in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK grew to $81,298 from the previous year's value of $77,647.

The following chart displays the households in Northwest Arctic Borough, 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.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Northwest Arctic Borough, AK is from Alaska.

0.436

2022 Wage GINI in Alaska

0.437

2021 Wage GINI in Alaska

In 2022, the income inequality in Alaska was 0.436 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.308% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Alaska was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Walked (45.9%)
Other (17.9%)
Drove Alone (14.8%)

In 2023, 45.9% of workers in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK walked to work, followed by those who used some unspecified means to get work (17.9%) and those who drove alone to work (14.8%).

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.

Commute Time

6.41 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK have a shorter commute time (6.41 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 0.0892% of the workforce in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

0 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK have 0 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2023, 48.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 3.75%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

18.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK (1.38k out of 7.52k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 6 - 11, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Females < 5.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Northwest Arctic Borough, 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.

Children in Poverty

In 2023, 28.4% of the children was living in poverty in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 1.1%.

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

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

81.2% of the population of Northwest Arctic Borough, AK has health coverage, with 28.7% on employee plans, 42.1% on Medicaid, 3.57% on Medicare, 6.45% on non-group plans, and 0.41% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK see 1274 patients per year on average, which represents a 17% increase from the previous year (1089 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 3780 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 98 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.8% were men and 50.2% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,274 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK

Primary care physicians in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK see an average of 1,274 patients per year. This represents a 17% increase from the previous year (1,089 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 39.3% under 18 years, 22.1% between 18 and 34 years, 30.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 8.38% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.8% were men and 50.2% were women.

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

Uninsured People

18.8%

Uninsured

28.7%

Employer Coverage

42.1%

Medicaid

3.57%

Medicare

6.45%

Non-Group

0.41%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK declined by 1.64% from 19.2% to 18.8%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2023, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 182 in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2023, 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 41.9% in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Northwest Arctic Borough, AK.