Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska. The estimated population of Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska is 7,776 people, with a median age of 28.7.

We can look at the total population in Northwest Arctic Borough over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
7,776
+0.87%
+0.79%
2020
7,709
 -0.08% -
2019
7,715
 -0.25% -
2018
7,734
+0.25%
-
2017
7,715
 - -

Population of Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
10.2%
11.1%
 -8.11%
Black/African American
1.1%
0.5%
 +120.00%
Native
81.8%
81.6%
 +0.25%
Hispanic
2.5%
2.5%
 0.00%
Asian
1.3%
0.9%
 +44.44%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.1%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
2.9%
3.3%
 -12.12%
Other
0%
0%
 0.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 28.7 +0.7% 29.4 +1.38% 27.5 +0.73%
2020 28.5 +2.52% 29 +1.75% 27.3 +2.63%
2019 27.8 +2.21% 28.5 +1.42% 26.6 +1.14%
2018 27.2 +2.26% 28.1 +2.93% 26.3 +1.54%
2017 26.6 - 27.3 - 25.9 -

The median age of Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 853 -4.99% 773 -0.63% 810 768
10 to 19 662 +13.52% 649 +2.25% 752 662
20 to 29 747 -23.78% 596 -5.82% 584 560
30 to 39 483 +21.65% 464 +2.51% 596 473
40 to 49 484 -9% 287 +9.94% 440 311
50 to 59 497 -12.96% 369 -12.75% 432 323
60 to 69 282 +31.55% 215 +39.25% 375 309
70+ 160 +21.18% 194 -2.62% 195 186

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska is $68,654.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Northwest Arctic Borough.

  • Under 25
    $63,333.00
  • 25 to 44
    $74,375.00
  • 45 to 64
    $75,938.00
  • 65 and over
    $52,500.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Northwest Arctic Borough, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Northwest Arctic Borough, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska is currently $88,844.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

8.94% of households in Northwest Arctic Borough are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Northwest Arctic Borough against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    18.28%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    17.08%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    18.00%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    12.87%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    14.58%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    10.25%
  • $200,000 or more
    8.94%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Northwest Arctic Borough is $26,748.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Northwest Arctic Borough by the total population of Northwest Arctic Borough.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Northwest Arctic Borough to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    8.68%
  • Bachelor's degree
    12.32%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    8.28%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    69.10%
  • Less than high school diploma
    1.62%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Northwest Arctic Borough that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Northwest Arctic Borough over the age of 16 is 5,299.

Of those people, a total of 59.00% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Northwest Arctic Borough is 49.70%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 515 12.60% 43.10%
20 to 24 years 494 63.40% 37.20%
25 to 29 years 650 70.90% 18.20%
30 to 34 years 608 76.80% 16.70%
35 to 44 years 815 73.00% 16.00%
45 to 54 years 801 71.70% 7.70%
55 to 59 years 351 68.40% 7.90%
60 to 64 years 470 55.30% 9.20%
65 to 74 years 383 33.20% 2.40%
75 years and over 212 10.40% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Northwest Arctic Borough. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 790 84.30% 1.10%
Black or African American 62 87.10% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 4,154 52.80% 21.80%
Asian 99 51.50% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 4 50.00% 0.00%
Other 19 100.00% 0.00%
Two or more races 171 80.70% 4.30%
Hispanic or Latino 136 83.10% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 730 84.80% 1.10%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Northwest Arctic Borough as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Northwest Arctic Borough is 2,632, with median earnings of $48,936.00.

Women in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska earning approximately 92.40% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 2,632 $48,936.00
Male 1,383 $50,917.00
Female 1,249 $47,022.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 237 $69,135.00
Business and Financial 86 $95,625.00
Computer and Mathematical 40 $83,000.00
Architecture and Engineering 13 $88,750.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 29 $54,375.00
Community and Social Service 116 $47,500.00
Legal 18 $174,583.00
Educational and Library 332 $58,750.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 26 $64,375.00
Healthcare Practitioners 207 $74,135.00
Healthcare Support 87 $39,792.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 31 $37,292.00
Law Enforcement 21 $42,083.00
Food Preparation and Serving 41 $23,750.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 123 $18,750.00
Personal Care and Service 40 $15,000.00
Sales 127 $36,458.00
Office and Administrative Support 350 $41,071.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 11 $33,438.00
Construction and Extraction 257 $77,083.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 82 $79,167.00
Production 143 $23,992.00
Transportation and Material Moving 100 $37,500.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 84 $68,500.00 153 $70,750.00
Business and Financial 21 $82,813.00 65 $117,804.00
Computer and Mathematical 29 $83,563.00 11 $51,750.00
Architecture and Engineering 10 $100,000.00 3 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 12 $109,500.00 17 $52,708.00
Community and Social Service 53 $32,083.00 63 $54,250.00
Legal 14 $0.00 4 $0.00
Educational and Library 89 $70,781.00 243 $42,083.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 22 $72,857.00 4 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 99 $64,107.00 108 $74,857.00
Healthcare Support 16 $70,278.00 71 $39,375.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 20 $70,833.00 11 $13,750.00
Law Enforcement 20 $45,000.00 1 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 16 $31,250.00 25 $21,250.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 57 $14,375.00 66 $21,667.00
Personal Care and Service 15 $20,313.00 25 $14,688.00
Sales 58 $45,000.00 69 $32,153.00
Office and Administrative Support 101 $36,875.00 249 $42,188.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 11 $33,438.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 249 $80,250.00 8 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 80 $82,500.00 2 $0.00
Production 143 $23,992.00 0 $0.00
Transportation and Material Moving 67 $35,938.00 33 $62,829.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 1,756 households in Northwest Arctic Borough, with an average household size of 4.18 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 1,285 families in Northwest Arctic Borough with an average family size of 4.97 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 715 179 391 471
Average Household Size 5.27 4.81 5.26 1.4
Total Families 715 179 391 0
Average Household Size 5.19 4.36 4.85 0

Poverty

Of the 1,285 families in Northwest Arctic Borough, 18.30% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Northwest Arctic Borough:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 2,728 housing units in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 1,756 64.37%
Vacant 972 35.63%

20.01% of the total 2,728 housing units in Northwest Arctic Borough are rental units. This is approximately 546 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 1,037 are occupied by the owner - or 38.01% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Northwest Arctic Borough is $1,266.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Northwest Arctic Borough that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    173
  • Less than $500
    57
  • $500 to $999
    153
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    120
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    114
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    85
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    16
  • $3,000 or more
    1

Property Value

The median value of a property in Northwest Arctic Borough is $130,700.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Northwest Arctic Borough that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    169
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    236
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    142
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    152
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    171
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    142
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    25
  • $1,000,000 or more
    0

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Northwest Arctic Borough. The chart below shows the number of properties in Northwest Arctic Borough that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    8
  • 1940 to 1949
    53
  • 1950 to 1959
    64
  • 1960 to 1969
    170
  • 1970 to 1979
    713
  • 1980 to 1989
    854
  • 1990 to 1999
    584
  • 2000 to 2009
    200
  • 2010 to 2013
    82
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Northwest Arctic Borough that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    1,160
  • 1 vehicle available
    420
  • 2 vehicles available
    149
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    27

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Northwest Arctic Borough get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Northwest Arctic Borough that commute to work in a particular way.

5.9 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Northwest Arctic Borough.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    959
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    952
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    346
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    82
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    18
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    9
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    5
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    0
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    3
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    11
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    10
  • 90 or more minutes
    2

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska

We have data for 13 places in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.