Alaska Population 2024

733,536

The last nationwide census in the United States was carried out in 2010, when the population of Alaska was officially counted at 710,231 people. That figure represented a growth in population of 13.3% from the year 2000. Since the 2010 census results were announced, the United States Census Bureau has announced a further estimates of the population in 2011 (722,718) and 2012 (731,449).

Alaska Area and Population Density

The current population of Alaska ranks the state 48th in the country in total population. With a massive surface area of 665,384 square miles, Alaska is by far the largest state in the US. It's obvious that Alaska is also by far the most sparsely populated state in the Union, with an average density of just 1.2 people per square mile.

As you would imagine, there aren't many big cities in Alaska. In total, there are just 29 cities and towns with a population of more than 1,000 people. The largest city, Anchorage, was home to 298,695 people in 2015, making it the 82nd largest city in the USA. Aside from Anchorage, there are only two cities with a population of more than 10,000 people - Juneau, the State capital, (pop: 32,756) and Fairbanks (pop: 32,325).

Alaska Gender and Religion Statistics

The median age is 33.6, with 47.7% females to 52.2% males. In religious terms, 62% of Alaskans relate to a Christian based faith, 6% with a non-Christian faith, and 31% having no affiliation with any religion.

Alaska Boundary, Statehood, and Census History

Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867, with essentially its present boundaries. "Skeptics had dubbed the purchase of Alaska “Seward’s Folly,” but the former Secretary of State was vindicated when a major gold deposit was discovered in the Yukon in 1896, and Alaska became the gateway to the Klondike gold fields" (Office of the Historian, 2018) It was made a territory in 1912 and admitted as a State on January 3, 1959.

Census coverage of Alaska began in 1880. For the censuses of 1930 and 1940, Alaska actually was enumerated in the fall of the preceding year (1929, 1939).

Alaska Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Alaska was:

  • White: 62.3%
  • Native American: 14.61%
  • Two or more races: 10.05%
  • Asian: 6.42%
  • Black or African American: 3.22%
  • Other race: 1.94%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 1.46%

Alaska Population Growth

Back in 1880, shortly after Alaska had been acquired from Russia, the population of Alaska was declared at 33,426. Like many areas within the United States, it has enjoyed healthy growth ever since and just twenty years later in 1900, numbers had risen to 63,592, nearly double those of 1880.

Around this period, gold rushes in Alaska and the nearby Yukon brought many thousands of new settlers just as similar finds had brought in immigrants to the rest of America. Alaska began to thrive and by 1940, the population of Alaska had grown to 72,524.

Alaska Population Growth

From the 2010 Census to the 2015 estimates, Alaska grew at 3.97%, making it the 24th fastest growing state during that time period.

More periods of extensive growth followed, and some significant rises in the Alaska population were on the horizon. In 1950, the official statistics showed that there were 128,643 residents, a rise of 77.4% on the 1940 figures and by 1960, a year after Alaska became the 49th state, numbers had increased by an additional 75.8% to 226,167.

Alaska Population Projections

That was the last time that such a rise took place in decades, but the population of Alaska continues to grow at a healthy rate, considerably faster than the US average.

Alaska Natives, or indigenous people of Alaska, make up the majority of the population of western and northern Alaska, where the population is quite sparse. Southeast Alaska also has a large population of Alaska Natives. The primary groups of indigenous people in Alaska are: Aleuts, Northern Eskimos (Inupiat), Southern Eskimos (Yuit), Interior Indians (Athabascans) and Southeast Coastal Indians (Tlingit and Haida.)

The state also has the highest population of American Indians in the entire nation, with Native Alaskans and American Indians comprising just under 15% of the state's total population. According to 2010 data, over 36,000 Native Alaskans and American Indians lived in the city of Anchorage alone.

Alaska is also one of the top ten states with the highest population of Asian residents. Ranked at number seven in the nation, this state experienced growth of 54.2% of its Asian population between the 2000 and 2010 censuses. The majority of the Asian population that resides in Alaska is of Filipino heritage, with a history dating back to the 1700s when early Filipinos worked as crew members on fur trading and exploratory ships.

Alaska Growth Rate

Alaska Population Rank

Alaska Population 2024

  • 17 of the 20 highest mountain peaks in the United States are located in Alaska.
  • There are over 70 volcanoes in Alaska that could still be active. Alaska's Bogoslof Volcano has erupted as recently as 2017.
  • There are over 3 million lakes and 3,000 rivers located within the state.
  • The strongest earthquake on the North American continent occurred in 1964. The earthquake measured a 9.2 on the Richter scale.
  • Alaska is located less than 50 miles from Russia.
  • Alaska is known for its cold winters, and the average temperature in Fairbanks in January is -1 degree Fahrenheit. That is warm compared to the lowest recorded temperature of -80 degrees Fahrenheit, recorded in 1971 at Prospect Creek Camp.
  • Twenty-five percent of the oil produced in the US comes from Alaska.
  • The largest salmon ever caught -- a whopping 97.5 pounds -- was caught in the state's Kenai River.
  • Alaska's area is so big, the state of Rhode Island could fit within it 425 times.
  • Alaska Natives comprise about 15.4% of the total Alaskan population and include the Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and Athabaskan cultures.
  • Many Alaskan Native traditions ceremonies are still practiced throughout Alaska today, such as birth celebrations, marriage ceremonies, giving of a name, raising totems, sharing of wealth, and honoring the departed, among others.
  • Alaska has a palindromic place called Kanakanak. This means that this neighborhood's name can be reversed— spelled either from left to right or right to left— and it would be spelled or read identically.

Alaska Facts

Population

20K

40K

60K

80K

100K

120K

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200K

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280K

Growth History

According to 2015 US Census Bureau estimates, just one county in Alaska has seen population growth of over 10% since the 2010 Census was taken -- the centrally-located Mantanuska-Susitna Borough, which registered growth of 12.63%. Trailing behind but still posting growth of 8.78% is the Kusilvak Census Area along the state's western border, which experienced growth of 8.78%.

Counties along the southern and eastern borders of the state experienced declines in population. The Lake and Peninsula Borough, the southernmost region of the state, exhibited the highest decline of 4.52% while the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area and Valdez-Cordova Census Area along the eastern border posted population declines of 3.27% and 3.07%, respectively.

Alaska Population by County

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White458,52062.3%
Native American107,53114.61%
Two or more races73,94610.05%
Asian47,2136.42%
Black or African American23,7213.22%
Other race14,2541.94%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander10,7661.46%

White

Native American

Two or more races

Asian

Black or African American

Other race

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Alaska Population by Race

Alaska Population Pyramid 2024

Alaska Median Age

35

Total

34.6

Male

35.4

Female

Alaska Adults

There are 553,217 adults, (90,188 of whom are seniors) in Alaska.

Alaska Age Dependency

58.9

Age Dependency Ratio

19.5

Old Age Dependency Ratio

39.5

Child Dependency Ratio

Alaska Sex Ratio

Female351,20247.72%
Male384,74952.28%

Alaska Population by Age

Alaska Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All260,5612.7265.734.3
Married129,8793.4177.522.5
Non Family89,5801.3353.846.2
Female26,4463.665248
Male14,6563.4758.241.8

3.32

Average Family Size

2.72

Average Household Size

65.7%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Alaska Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Alaska Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Alaska Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 95.99%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 37.05%.

Alaska Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$50,584

Average Earnings

$57,741

Average Male

$41,868

Average Female

Alaska Earnings by Educational Attainment

Alaska Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Alaska Language

84.39% of Alaska residents speak only English, while 15.61% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Asian and Pacific Island languages, which is spoken by 5.6% of the population.

Alaska Language

Alaska Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White425,71830,5727.18%
Native104,20724,62123.63%
Multiple72,3547,73210.69%
Hispanic52,1285,21810.01%
Asian46,7594,4639.54%
Black22,0742,50411.34%
Islander10,6011,78016.79%
Other13,9321,43810.32%

10.43%

Overall Poverty Rate

9.75%

Male Poverty Rate

11.16%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Alaska

The race most likely to be in poverty in Alaska is Native, with 23.63% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Alaska is White, with 7.18% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.75%. Among those working part-time, it was 12.72%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 18.18%.

Alaska Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade21.89%
High School14.24%
Some College7.07%
Bachelors or Greater2.98%

Alaska Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed27.48%
Male Unemployed26.21%
Female Employed5.73%
Male Employed4.16%

Alaska Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Alaska Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Alaska Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

49.5%

Overall Marriage Rate

48.6%

Male Marriage Rate

50.5%

Female Marriage Rate

Alaska Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Alaska Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.

Alaska Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Alaska Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

62,744

Number of Veterans

53,811

Male Veterans

8,933

Female Veterans

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Alaska Veterans by War

count

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Alaska Veterans by Age

count

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Alaska Veterans by Race

Alaska Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

6.54%

Veteran Poverty Rate

26.91%

Veteran Disability Rate

Alaska Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

67.1%

Labor Force Participation

59.2%

Employment Rate

6.9%

Unemployment Rate

Alaska Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Alaska Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Alaska Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

42.87%

Born in Alaska

92.13%

Native Born

7.87%

Foreign Born

3.14%

Non Citizen

4.73%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

92.13% of Alaska residents were born in the United States, with 42.87% having been born in Alaska. 3.14% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Alaska Place of Birth

  1. Alaska Census Data
  2. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  4. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  5. Census QuickFacts
  6. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

Sources