City · Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska

Kotzebue, Alaska

Kotzebue is a city in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska. It has 2,984 residents. Kotzebue, Alaska has a quality-of-life score of 25 out of 100 (low), ranking #11,773 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Alaska it ranks #61 of 71 cities and towns. It ranks best on average commute time (low), natural hazard risk (low) and mental health providers (high). It ranks worst on injury deaths (high), new business applications (low) and restaurants and bars (low).

25Low

Quality-of-life score: #11,773 of 15,651 cities and towns
Alaska: #61 of 71 in AK
Population: 2,984 (2020-2024)
Land area: 24 mi²
Density: 122.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 0241830

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 59 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety7#14,559/15,637
Economy50#7,813/15,631
Housing98#255/14,977
Health10#14,112/15,609
Healthcare10#14,014/15,650
Environment—
Education48#8,083/15,649
Infrastructure65#5,422/15,650
Community8#14,438/15,651
Leisure & amenities18#12,861/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Kotzebue, Alaska ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Northwest Arctic Borough 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

Average commute time · low6.1 min
100/100Alaska 19.4 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Natural hazard risk · low0.1
100/100Alaska 64.12025Federal Emergency Management AgencyNorthwest Arctic Borough value
Mental health providers · high1,248 /100k
100/100Alaska 802 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNorthwest Arctic Borough value
Rent-burdened households · low17.6%
100/100Alaska 44.6%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · low17.0%
99/100Alaska 27.7%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Average weekly wage · high$1,833
97/100Alaska $1,450United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsNorthwest Arctic Borough value

Weaknesses

Injury deaths · high231 /100k
0/100Alaska 117 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNorthwest Arctic Borough value
New business applications · low3.0 /1k
0/100Alaska 14.3 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauNorthwest Arctic Borough value
Restaurants and bars · low0.0 /10k
0/100Alaska 8.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsNorthwest Arctic Borough value
Distance to an airport · high413 mi
0/100Alaska 131 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauNorthwest Arctic Borough value
Access to exercise opportunities · low3.1%
0/100Alaska 79.1%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNorthwest Arctic Borough value
Distance to an emergency room · high35.2 mi
0/100Alaska 46.0 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesNorthwest Arctic Borough value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
3,287 (2015-2019) → 2,984 (2020-2024)
−9.2%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
2.5 /1k (2021) → 0.3 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−87%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
83.6% (2015-2019) → 96.0% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
29.2% (2015-2019) → 18.8% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
26.6% (2015-2019) → 17.6% (2020-2024)
−9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$81,188 (2015-2019) → $110,357 (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Kotzebue, 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

Uninsured−10 points29.2% → 18.8%
Rent / income−5.3 points22.3% → 17.0%
Broadband+12 points83.6% → 96.0%
Household income+36%$81,188 → $110,357

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Kotzebue, Alaska between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	6.2 min2015-2019	6.1 min2020-2024	−0.0 min	Within the margin of error	48%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.4%2015-2019	18.7%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Broadband subscriptions	83.6%2015-2019	96.0%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	71%
Child poverty rate	24.5%2015-2019	22.7%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	55%
High school diploma or higher	89.3%2015-2019	90.9%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Home price to income ratio	2.9×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	−0.3×	Within the margin of error	89%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4062015-2019	0.3822020-2024	−0.024	Within the margin of error	70%
Median household income	$81,1882015-2019	$110,3572020-2024	+36%	Improved	67%
Poverty rate	18.6%2015-2019	14.4%2020-2024	−4.2 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Rent as share of income	22.3%2015-2019	17.0%2020-2024	−5.3 points	Improved	84%
Rent-burdened households	26.6%2015-2019	17.6%2020-2024	−9 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Unemployment rate	8.1%2015-2019	6.2%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	29.2%2015-2019	18.8%2020-2024	−10 points	Improved	97%

“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 Kotzebue, Alaska five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Kotzebue, 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, Kotzebue, Alaska itself moved +7.8 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

2,984 residents (±24)

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: 50–59 men (−3.7 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

2,984 residents (±24)

Kotzebue, Alaska
Alaska share

White19%573
Black1.2%†36
Hispanic or Latino5.7%170

Education

1,771 residents (±65)

Kotzebue, Alaska
Alaska share

No high school diploma9.1%†161
High school or GED38%667
Some college27%485

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

796 households (±61)

Kotzebue, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $25k11%†87
$25k–50k9.3%†74
$50k–75k9.2%†73
$75k–100k16%125
$100k–150k20%157
$150k–200k11%†91
$200k or more24%189

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+13.4 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

796 households (±61)

Kotzebue, Alaska
Alaska share

Own48%382
Rent52%414

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

352 households (±40)

Kotzebue, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $75011%†38
$750–1,0007.7%†27
$1,000–1,50028%†97

Home values

382 homes (±51)

Kotzebue, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $150k16%†60
$150k–250k26%†98
$250k–400k39%149

Age of homes

1,002 homes (±51)

Kotzebue, Alaska
Alaska share

2010 or later2.4%†24
2000–20096.6%†66
1980–199958%581

Size of homes

1,002 homes (±51)

Kotzebue, Alaska
Alaska share

Studio8.2%†82
1 bedroom14%144
2 bedrooms27%266

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

1,355 workers (±94)

Kotzebue, Alaska
Alaska share

Drive alone23%317
Carpool17%233
Public transit0.1%†1
Walk44%601
Bike0.3%†4
Work from home4.3%†58
Other10%†141

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Walk (+12.3 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,297 workers (±98)

Kotzebue, Alaska
Alaska share

Under 15 min93%1,203
15–29 min6.2%†80
30–44 min0.5%†6

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 Northwest Arctic Borough, the county holding most of Kotzebue's residents.

Northwest Arctic Borough has 65 employer establishments, 89.1 for every 10,000 residents (0.36× the US rate of 248; 0.29× Alaska's), with 1,766 paid employees at an average annual pay of $120,951. The Census Bureau also counts 187 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 65; 187 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 89.1; US 248 · Alaska 302
Paid employees: 1,766
Average annual pay: $120,951; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Northwest Arctic Borough by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Grocery and convenience stores	9	12.3	4.15×Too few to compare	140	$20,300	4
Civic and social organizations	5	6.9	9.34×Too few to compare	29	$21,793	—
Restaurants and other eating places	5	6.9	0.37×Too few to compare	36	$19,583	—
Limited-service restaurants	3	4.1	0.51×Too few to compare	33	$19,848	—
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Advertising, public relations and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Ambulatory health care services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	5
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Architectural, engineering and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	3
Banks and credit unions	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—

Rank places for an industry Open Northwest Arctic Borough

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 7,299 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Kotzebue is mostly in Northwest Arctic Borough.

See federal money in Northwest Arctic Borough

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.

Kotzebue, 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.

Northwest Arctic Borough15100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Northwest Arctic Borough

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/0241830