Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska Demographics

Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.

Northwest Arctic 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.

  • C
    Health Below average
    Among the 3 least healthy counties in Alaska
  • D
    Income Well below average
    Among the 3 least wealthy counties in Alaska
  • F
    Education Well below average
    Among the 3 least educated counties in Alaska

Source: Map AI Methodology

Northwest Arctic Borough
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Northwest Arctic Borough Alaska Avg U.S. Average
Population 7,441 735,577 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 0.2 1.1 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) -0.46% -0.03% 0.59%
Median age 26.2 36.2 37.3
Households 1,825 270,488 130,235,071

Population in Northwest Arctic Borough grew by 0.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 7,441 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Northwest Arctic Borough

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Northwest Arctic Borough is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 26.1% of residents. That is 3.7 points above Alaska as a whole.

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 46.6% of the people living in Northwest Arctic Borough and men 53.4%.

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7,441

100% of everyone living in Northwest Arctic Borough

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Economy

Northwest Arctic Borough has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.

Metric Northwest Arctic Borough Alaska Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $82,858 $93,666 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 3.85% 2.94% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 16.6% 5.5% 5.2%

The median household income in Northwest Arctic Borough is about 12% lower than in Alaska.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Northwest Arctic Borough Alaska Avg U.S. Average
Median home price — $320,616 $248,835
Median rent $1,350 $1,418 $1,407
Homeownership rate 64.4% 66.8% 65.2%

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Northwest Arctic Borough spend about 11 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 46 hours, about 1.9 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Northwest Arctic Borough Alaska Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 5.5 16.1 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 11.1 32.2 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 46 134 187
Estimated yearly cost $1,432 $4,157 $5,790
Work from home 5.3% 9.7% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) — 4,865 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 39 583 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 Northwest Arctic Borough is 6 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.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Northwest Arctic Borough has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.

Metric Northwest Arctic Borough Alaska Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 13.5% 27.6% 31.6%
Average household size 3.81 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

Northwest Arctic Borough has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.

Metric Northwest Arctic Borough Alaska Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 77.5 79.9 78.3
Self-rated poor health 21.6% 15.4% 16.3%
Smokers 32.6% 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).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska.

How many people live in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska?

About 7,441 people live in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska, in 1,825 households of 3.8 people on average. The median age is 26.2, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.

Is Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska has 0 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 0% of the U.S. average of 86.

Is it hard to find a job in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska?

Unemployment in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska is 16.6%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.

How educated are people in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska?

13.5% of adults in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.

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