Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety12#13,790/15,637
Economy37#9,812/15,631
Housing98#342/14,977
Health13#13,600/15,609
Healthcare23#12,075/15,650
Environment—
Education67#5,166/15,649
Infrastructure64#5,619/15,650
Community24#11,862/15,651
Leisure & amenities31#10,733/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bethel, Alaska ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Bethel Census Area value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Traffic deaths · low2.2 /100k
100/100Alaska 9.4 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataBethel Census Area value
Mental health providers · high2,884 /100k
100/100Alaska 802 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBethel Census Area value
Natural hazard risk · low0.2
100/100Alaska 64.12025Federal Emergency Management AgencyBethel Census Area value
Dentists · high170 /100k
100/100Alaska 106 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBethel Census Area value
Rent-burdened households · low21.2%
100/100Alaska 44.6%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Average commute time · low9.8 min
100/100Alaska 19.4 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high93.3 /100k
0/100Alaska 30.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBethel Census Area value
Mammography screening · low6.0%
0/100Alaska 39.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBethel Census Area value
Flu vaccinations · low3.0%
0/100Alaska 29.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBethel Census Area value
New business applications · low2.4 /1k
0/100Alaska 14.3 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauBethel Census Area value
Food environment index · low3.1
0/100Alaska 7.0United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBethel Census Area value
Distance to an airport · high410 mi
0/100Alaska 131 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauBethel Census Area value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
38.4% (2015-2019) → 21.2% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
3.2 /1k (2021) → 1.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−65%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$83,367 (2015-2019) → $117,255 (2020-2024)
+41%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
87.8% (2015-2019) → 95.0% (2020-2024)
+7.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
24.0% (2015-2019) → 18.8% (2020-2024)
−5.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Child poverty rateImproving
20.3% (2015-2019) → 15.7% (2020-2024)
−4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Bethel, Alaska improved on 4 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Rent burden−17 points38.4% → 21.2%
Rent / income−5.2 points24.0% → 18.8%
Household income+41%$83,367 → $117,255
Broadband+7.2 points87.8% → 95.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Bethel, Alaska between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	9.0 min2015-2019	9.8 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Within the margin of error	39%
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.9%2015-2019	24.5%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Broadband subscriptions	87.8%2015-2019	95.0%2020-2024	+7.2 points	Improved	45%
Child poverty rate	20.3%2015-2019	15.7%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Within the margin of error	67%
High school diploma or higher	89.9%2015-2019	88.2%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Home price to income ratio	3.4×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	−0.3×	Within the margin of error	89%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3982015-2019	0.3632020-2024	−0.035	Within the margin of error	77%
Median household income	$83,3672015-2019	$117,2552020-2024	+41%	Improved	75%
Poverty rate	15.9%2015-2019	11.6%2020-2024	−4.4 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Rent as share of income	24.0%2015-2019	18.8%2020-2024	−5.2 points	Improved	83%
Rent-burdened households	38.4%2015-2019	21.2%2020-2024	−17 points	Improved	91%
Unemployment rate	9.5%2015-2019	8.3%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	20.9%2015-2019	16.4%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Within the margin of error	85%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Bethel, Alaska five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bethel, Alaska in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Bethel, Alaska itself moved +7.4 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

6,312 residents (±23)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59
40–49†
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 10–19 men (−3.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

6,312 residents (±23)

Bethel, Alaska
Alaska share

White20%1,265
Black3.0%190
Hispanic or Latino3.6%229

Education

3,848 residents (±167)

Bethel, Alaska
Alaska share

No high school diploma12%454
High school or GED38%1,472
Some college18%680

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,095 households (±115)

Bethel, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $25k9.5%†199
$25k–50k7.1%†148
$50k–75k13%†277
$75k–100k10%†218
$100k–150k24%493
$150k–200k17%355
$200k or more19%405

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+10.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,095 households (±115)

Bethel, Alaska
Alaska share

Own47%989
Rent53%1,106

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+9.5 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

1,017 households (±139)

Bethel, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $75012%†124
$750–1,0001.7%†17
$1,000–1,50021%†211

Home values

989 homes (±142)

Bethel, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $150k14%†142
$150k–250k9.1%†90
$250k–400k39%390

Age of homes

2,495 homes (±122)

Bethel, Alaska
Alaska share

2010 or later13%†315
2000–200921%512
1980–199941%1,012

Size of homes

2,495 homes (±122)

Bethel, Alaska
Alaska share

Studio3.9%†97
1 bedroom21%522
2 bedrooms25%615

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,930 workers (±212)

Bethel, Alaska
Alaska share

Drive alone40%1,184
Carpool22%640
Public transit0.5%†14
Walk19%544
Bike0.7%†21
Work from home8.5%†250
Other9.5%†277

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,680 workers (±210)

Bethel, Alaska
Alaska share

Under 15 min82%2,199
15–29 min11%†287
30–44 min5.7%†154

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Bethel Census Area, the county holding most of Bethel's residents.

Bethel Census Area has 215 employer establishments, 118 for every 10,000 residents (0.47× the US rate of 248; 0.39× Alaska's), with 2,523 paid employees at an average annual pay of $57,977. The Census Bureau also counts 731 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 215; 731 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 118; US 248 · Alaska 302
Paid employees: 2,523
Average annual pay: $57,977; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Bethel Census Area by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Grocery and convenience stores	21	11.5	3.88×More than typical	555	$20,326	5
Commercial and industrial machinery repair	15	8.2	12.1×More than typical	33	$30,939	—
General merchandise stores	12	6.6	3.72×More than typical	191	$16,932	8
Restaurants and other eating places	12	6.6	0.36×Fewer than typical	76	$35,145	11
Gasoline stations	10	5.5	1.69×More than typical	150	$28,047	—
Lessors of real estate	10	5.5	0.44×Fewer than typical	30	$77,167	27
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	7	3.8	1.44×Too few to compare	72	$31,694	—
Individual and family services	7	3.8	1.37×Too few to compare	15	$67,667	5
Construction of buildings	6	3.3	0.43×Too few to compare	13	$48,923	4
Full-service restaurants	6	3.3	0.43×Too few to compare	46	$31,000	—
Elementary and secondary schools	5	2.7	3.98×Too few to compare	33	$32,697	—
Limited-service restaurants	5	2.7	0.34×Too few to compare	29	$41,931	—

Rank places for an industry Open Bethel Census Area

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 18,248 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $1.3M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Bethel, Alaska: $214 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.3M; +16% vs FY2025
Per resident: $214; US $1,994
Sole-source: 1.4%; US 30%
Single offer: 24%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Aviation Administration$783.2K58%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$215.1K16%
Departmental Offices$119.2K8.8%
U.S. Coast Guard$98.4K7.3%
Department of the Army$83.4K6.2%
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$31.1K2.3%
Federal Emergency Management Agency$19.2K1.4%

Top recipients

BRICE SOLUTIONS, LLC$455.2K34%
POTAWATOMI DEFENSE OPERATIONS LLC$445.3K33%
MARITIME HELICOPTERS, INC$98.4K7.3%
ETRAC, A WOOLPERT COMPANY$83.4K6.2%
X-CLEAN CORP$61.9K4.6%

Spending by fiscal year

2.6MFY2017
217.5KFY2018
710.4KFY2019
4MFY2020
1.4MFY2021
2.8MFY2022
2.8MFY2023
2.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$917K68%
Nonscheduled air transportation · 4812$197.7K15%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$83.4K6.2%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$75.6K5.6%
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing · 3241$31.1K2.3%
Support activities for air transportation · 4881

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Bethel, Alaska

AK-YUKON DELTA NWR-BIA-SOIL REMEDIATION$3.4M
POTAWATOMI DEFENSE OPERATIONS LLC· Bethel Census Area, AK· Construction & real property· Mar 1, 2024 – Apr 20, 2026· 140FC324C0007
WATER STORAGE TANK CLEANING/INSPECTION AND BETHEL HOUSING WATER TREATMENT PLANT (WSM) REFURBISHMENT.$736.2K
POTAWATOMI DEFENSE OPERATIONS LLC· Bethel Census Area, AK· Facilities & utilities· Jul 14, 2025 – Jun 8, 2026· 697DCK25C00204
BETHEL FAA STATION, ALASKA, REMEDIAL ACTION, REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION, AND SITE INVESTIGATION PER STATEMENT OF WORK.$578K
BRICE SOLUTIONS, LLC· Bethel Census Area, AK· Facilities & utilities· Mar 12, 2026 – Jul 21, 2026· 697DCK26C00074

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Bethel, Alaska, so they do not add up across cities.

Bethel, Alaska's figures are part of those of Bethel Census Area, AK ($4.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 31% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Bethel is mostly in Bethel Census Area.

See federal money in Bethel Census Area

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Bethel, Alaska is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Nicholas J. Begich IIIR-AK · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 0.9%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Bethel Census Area13100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Bethel Census Area

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0206520

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends