Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
B
Health Around average
-
B
Income Around average
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Ketchikan Gateway Borough | Alaska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 13,785 | 735,577 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2.1 | 1.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.08% | -0.03% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.1 | 36.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,738 | 270,488 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Ketchikan Gateway Borough grew by 5.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 13,785 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Ketchikan Gateway Borough is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.9% of residents. That is 3.1 points above Alaska as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,776 20.1% -2.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,031 22.0% -2.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,162 22.9% +3.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,290 16.6% +2.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Alaska, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 48.5% of the people living in Ketchikan Gateway Borough and men 51.5%.
- Women 48.5% Alaska 47.6%
- Men 51.5% Alaska 52.4%
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100% of everyone living in Ketchikan Gateway Borough
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Economy
Ketchikan Gateway Borough has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Ketchikan Gateway Borough | Alaska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $93,937 | $93,666 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.97% | 2.94% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.0% | 5.5% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Ketchikan Gateway Borough is about the same as in Alaska.
Housing
| Metric | Ketchikan Gateway Borough | Alaska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $338,636 | $320,616 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,504 | $1,418 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 68.6% | 66.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Ketchikan Gateway Borough is about 18.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,504 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Ketchikan Gateway Borough spend about 25 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 103 hours, about 4.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Ketchikan Gateway Borough | Alaska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 12.4 | 16.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 24.8 | 32.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 103 | 134 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,199 | $4,157 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.0% | 9.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | — | 4,865 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 678 | 583 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Alaska:
Skagway Municipality (4.7 min), Northwest Arctic Borough (5.5 min), Nome Census Area (5.8 min).
Slowest:
Matanuska-Susitna Borough (25.3 min), Fairbanks North Star Borough (17.2 min), Anchorage Municipality (17.1 min).
The average commute time in Ketchikan Gateway Borough is 12 minutes, shorter than the 16 minutes in Alaska.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Ketchikan Gateway Borough has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Ketchikan Gateway Borough | Alaska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 26.1% | 27.6% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.41 | 2.61 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Alaska:
Haines Borough (0.3), Juneau City and Borough (0.3), Denali Borough (0.3).
Lowest:
Kusilvak Census Area (0.1), Bethel Census Area (0.2), Northwest Arctic Borough (0.2).
Health
Ketchikan Gateway Borough has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Ketchikan Gateway Borough | Alaska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.8 | 79.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.6% | 15.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.1% | 22.7% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Alaska:
Juneau City and Borough (0.8), Petersburg Borough (0.8), Chugach Census Area (0.8).
Lowest:
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area (0.8), Lake and Peninsula Borough (0.8), Northwest Arctic Borough (0.8).
Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK Compared With Nearby Counties
How Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK | 13,785 | $93,937 #2/2 | $338,636 #1/2 | 12.4 min #1/2 |
| Juneau City and Borough, AK | 31,790 | $102,083 | $193,749 | 13.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska.
How many people live in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska?
About 13,785 people live in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska, in 5,738 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 42.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska has 2 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 2% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.6 times the median household income ($338,636 against $93,937), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,504 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska?
Unemployment in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska is only 3.0%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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