City · Nome Census Area, Alaska

Nome, Alaska

Nome is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska. It has 3,653 residents. Nome, Alaska has a quality-of-life score of 43 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #8,862 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Alaska it ranks #45 of 71 cities and towns. It ranks best on average commute time (low), natural hazard risk (low) and grocery stores (high). It ranks worst on injury deaths (high), flu vaccinations (low) and distance to an airport (high).

43Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #8,862 of 15,651 cities and towns
Alaska: #45 of 71 in AK
Population: 3,653 (2020-2024)
Land area: 13 mi²
Density: 287.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 0254920

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 63 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.

Safety10#14,067/15,637
Economy61#6,110/15,631
Housing92#1,169/14,977
Health25#11,736/15,609
Healthcare20#12,472/15,650
Environment—
Education80#3,139/15,649
Infrastructure64#5,676/15,650
Community10#14,068/15,651
Leisure & amenities59#6,365/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Average commute time · low6.4 min
100/100Alaska 19.4 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Natural hazard risk · low0.2
100/100Alaska 64.12025Federal Emergency Management AgencyNome Census Area value
Grocery stores · high7.1 /10k
100/100Alaska 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsNome Census Area value
Mental health providers · high1,088 /100k
99/100Alaska 802 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNome Census Area value
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100Alaska 0%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAANome Census Area value
Rent-burdened households · low29.4%
98/100Alaska 44.6%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Weaknesses

Injury deaths · high233 /100k
0/100Alaska 117 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNome Census Area value
Flu vaccinations · low3.0%
0/100Alaska 29.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNome Census Area value
Distance to an airport · high515 mi
0/100Alaska 131 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauNome Census Area value
New business applications · low4.9 /1k
0/100Alaska 14.3 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauNome Census Area value
Preventable hospital stays · high6,365 /100k
0/100Alaska 2,100 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNome Census Area value
Suicide rate · high46.3 /100k
1/100Alaska 30.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataNome Census Area value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
3,850 (2015-2019) → 3,653 (2020-2024)
−5.1%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
42.4% (2015-2019) → 29.4% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.5% (2015-2019) → 93.8% (2020-2024)
+9.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
2.2 /1k (2021) → 1.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−37%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$84,574 (2015-2019) → $113,646 (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
19.2% (2015-2019) → 14.3% (2020-2024)
−4.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

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, Nome, Alaska improved on 4 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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−4.9 points19.2% → 14.3%
Rent burden−13 points42.4% → 29.4%
Household income+34%$84,574 → $113,646
Broadband+9.3 points84.5% → 93.8%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Nome, Alaska between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	7.5 min2015-2019	6.4 min2020-2024	−1.1 min	Within the margin of error	62%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.3%2015-2019	22.0%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Broadband subscriptions	84.5%2015-2019	93.8%2020-2024	+9.3 points	Improved	56%
Child poverty rate	9.1%2015-2019	7.3%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Effective property tax rate	0.73%2015-2019	0.90%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	4%
High school diploma or higher	91.3%2015-2019	94.4%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	75%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3772015-2019	0.3722020-2024	−0.005	Within the margin of error	55%
Median household income	$84,5742015-2019	$113,6462020-2024	+34%	Improved	64%
Poverty rate	7.5%2015-2019	8.8%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Rent as share of income	26.5%2015-2019	23.6%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Rent-burdened households	42.4%2015-2019	29.4%2020-2024	−13 points	Improved	87%
Unemployment rate	9.6%2015-2019	9.0%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	19.2%2015-2019	14.3%2020-2024	−4.9 points	Improved	86%

“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 Nome, Alaska five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Nome, 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, Nome, Alaska itself moved +3.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

3,653 residents (±29)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

1,166 households (±74)

Nome, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $25k7.8%†91
$25k–50k11%†132
$50k–75k9.2%

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,166 households (±74)

Nome, Alaska
Alaska share

Own54%625
Rent46%541

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+8.3 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,673 workers (±135)

Nome, Alaska
Alaska share

Drive alone49%821
Carpool15%†251
Public transit0.5%†8

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 Nome Census Area, the county holding most of Nome's residents.

Nome Census Area has 174 employer establishments, 178 for every 10,000 residents (0.72× the US rate of 248; 0.59× Alaska's), with 2,167 paid employees at an average annual pay of $86,605. The Census Bureau also counts 523 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 174; 523 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 178; US 248 · Alaska 302
Paid employees: 2,167
Average annual pay: $86,605; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	20	20.5	0.98×About typical	217	$64,825	14
Grocery and convenience stores	18	18.4	6.21×More than typical	271	$29,683	—
Outpatient care centers	16	16.4	8.91×More than typical	212	$64,755	—
Restaurants and other eating places	10	10.2	0.56×Fewer than typical	50	$36,740	—
Lessors of real estate	7	7.2	0.58×Too few to compare	70	$36,857	19
Full-service restaurants	6	6.1	0.80×Too few to compare	20	$29,050	—
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	5	5.1	1.93×Too few to compare	60	$9,667	7
Construction of buildings	5	5.1	0.68×Too few to compare	9	$46,333	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	4	4.1	0.81×Too few to compare	14	$92,357	—
Individual and family services	4	4.1	1.46×Too few to compare	242	$79,368	—
Banks and credit unions	3	3.1	0.95×Too few to compare	9	$89,000	—
Civic and social organizations	3	3.1	4.19×Too few to compare	7	$52,143	—

Rank places for an industry Open Nome Census Area

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 9,762 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: Nome is mostly in Nome Census Area.

See federal money in Nome 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.

Nome, 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.

Nome Census Area23100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Nome 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/0254920

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends