county

Northwest Arctic Borough, AK

Demographic and economic profile of Northwest Arctic Borough, AK, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Northwest Arctic Borough is a remote Alaskan borough of 7,611 residents with an economy that produces a GDP per capita of $72,426—well above the median worker earnings of $40,564—suggesting output driven by capital-intensive industries such as mining rather than broad wage employment. The labor market is constrained, with a 16.3% unemployment rate, 59.0% labor force participation, and only 12.4% of residents holding a bachelor's degree, reflecting a small and modestly educated workforce. The population declined 1.6% over five years, poverty stands at 18.4%, and the median age of 28.8 years is notably low, while a mean commute of just 6.4 minutes underscores the borough's geographic isolation and compact settlement pattern.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

7,611

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$84,018

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

28.8 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-1.6% since 2018

Northwest Arctic Borough lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone5,997 (80.6%)
  • White Alone726 (9.8%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races446 (6.0%)
  • Asian Alone116 (1.6%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race73 (1.0%)
  • Black or African American Alone42 (0.6%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Tagalog (incl. Filipino)153
  2. 2.Spanish92
  3. 3.Other Asian and Pacific Island31
  4. 4.Korean10
  5. 5.Vietnamese10

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

37.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

54.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

8.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

2.2%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

260

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$72,426

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$28,467

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

16.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

18.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance711
  2. 2.Public Administration (Group)631
  3. 3.Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities273
  4. 4.Retail Trade (Group)170
  5. 5.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining124

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations907
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations451
  3. 3.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations368
  4. 4.Service Occupations358
  5. 5.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations352

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Public Administration (LQ 4.68×)553
  2. 2.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 4.29×)171
  3. 3.Transportation, Warehousing, & Utilities (LQ 1.97×)288
  4. 4.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.26×)738
  5. 5.Construction (LQ 0.71×)123

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$162,500

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$1,336/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

64.4%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $200,000 to $249,999196 (16.7%)
  • $300,000 to $399,999179 (15.2%)
  • $100,000 to $124,99985 (7.2%)
  • $500,000 to $749,99984 (7.1%)
  • $250,000 to $299,99979 (6.7%)
  • $40,000 to $49,99972 (6.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

12.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

85.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

59.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$40,564

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

5.9 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

64.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Walked1,033 (44.5%)
  • Other487 (21.0%)
  • Drove Alone370 (15.9%)
  • Carpooled266 (11.5%)
  • Worked At Home122 (5.3%)
  • Public Transit22 (0.9%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.