City and borough · Sitka City and Borough, Alaska

Sitka, Alaska

Sitka is a city and borough in Sitka City and Borough, Alaska. It has 8,368 residents. Sitka, Alaska has a quality-of-life score of 89 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,734 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Alaska it ranks #5 of 71 cities and towns. It ranks best on mental health providers (high), primary care physicians (high) and arts, entertainment and recreation (high). It ranks worst on distance to an airport (high), child care cost burden (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).

89Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,734 of 15,651 cities and towns
Alaska: #5 of 71 in AK
Population: 8,368 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2,870 mi²
Density: 2.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 0270540

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 65 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.

Safety71#4,493/15,637
Economy65#5,522/15,631
Housing80#3,057/14,977
Health69#4,840/15,609
Healthcare62#5,917/15,650
Environment—
Education84#2,469/15,649
Infrastructure53#7,353/15,650
Community94#1,018/15,651
Leisure & amenities97#543/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Mental health providers · high3,028 /100k
100/100Alaska 802 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSitka City and Borough value
Primary care physicians · high215 /100k
100/100Alaska 96 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSitka City and Borough value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high24.0 /10k
100/100Alaska 9.1 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSitka City and Borough value
Dentists · high145 /100k
100/100Alaska 106 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSitka City and Borough value
Grocery stores · high4.8 /10k
99/100Alaska 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSitka City and Borough value
Average commute time · low13.0 min
99/100Alaska 19.4 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Weaknesses

Distance to an airport · high591 mi
0/100Alaska 131 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauSitka City and Borough value
Child care cost burden · high49.0%
1/100Alaska 28.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSitka City and Borough value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high737 mi
1/100Alaska 1,315 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauSitka City and Borough value
Job growth · low-5.0%
2/100Alaska -1.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataSitka City and Borough value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Alaska 2.8 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergySitka City and Borough value
Suicide rate · high27.8 /100k
5/100Alaska 30.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataSitka City and Borough value

Trends

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

Median household incomeImproving
$73,682 (2015-2019) → $101,727 (2020-2024)
+38%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
19.2% (2015-2019) → 12.1% (2020-2024)
−7.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.2% (2015-2019) → 90.8% (2020-2024)
+6.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
12.3% (2015-2019) → 7.4% (2020-2024)
−4.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Average commute timeWorsening
10.9 min (2015-2019) → 13.0 min (2020-2024)
+19%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Income inequality (Gini index)Improving
0.419 (2015-2019) → 0.365 (2020-2024)
−13%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483

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, Sitka, Alaska improved on 5 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 8 moved within the margin of error and 1 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.

Improved5

Uninsured−7.2 points19.2% → 12.1%
Inequality−0.0540.419 → 0.365
Household income+38%$73,682 → $101,727
Child poverty−4.9 points12.3% → 7.4%
Broadband+6.6 points84.2% → 90.8%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Sitka, Alaska between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	10.9 min2015-2019	13.0 min2020-2024	+2.1 min	Within the margin of error	26%
Bachelor's degree or higher	33.4%2015-2019	34.3%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Broadband subscriptions	84.2%2015-2019	90.8%2020-2024	+6.6 points	Improved	41%
Child poverty rate	12.3%2015-2019	7.4%2020-2024	−4.9 points	Improved	68%
Effective property tax rate	0.50%2015-2019	0.37%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	44%
High school diploma or higher	94.7%2015-2019	94.8%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Home price to income ratio	4.9×2015-2019	4.4×2020-2024	−0.4×	Within the margin of error	92%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4192015-2019	0.3652020-2024	−0.054	Improved	85%
Median household income	$73,6822015-2019	$101,7272020-2024	+38%	Improved	71%
Poverty rate	8.7%2015-2019	7.5%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Rent as share of income	29.5%2015-2019	28.7%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Rent-burdened households	48.7%2015-2019	47.0%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Unemployment rate	5.0%2015-2019	6.8%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	19.2%2015-2019	12.1%2020-2024	−7.2 points	Improved	92%

“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 Sitka, Alaska five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Sitka, 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, Sitka, Alaska itself moved +4.9 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

8,368 residents

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

3,440 households (±140)

Sitka, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $25k11%380
$25k–50k11%380
$50k–75k14%476

Homes

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

Owners and renters

3,440 households (±140)

Sitka, Alaska
Alaska share

Own62%2,123
Rent38%1,317

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

4,555 workers (±189)

Sitka, Alaska
Alaska share

Drive alone61%2,765
Carpool11%†494
Public transit0.1%†3

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 Sitka City and Borough, the county holding most of Sitka's residents.

Sitka City and Borough has 405 employer establishments, 487 for every 10,000 residents (1.96× the US rate of 248; 1.61× Alaska's), with 3,174 paid employees at an average annual pay of $69,641. The Census Bureau also counts 1,270 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 405; 1,270 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 487; US 248 · Alaska 302
Paid employees: 3,174
Average annual pay: $69,641; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	26	31.3	1.70×More than typical	267	$31,408	7
Specialty trade contractors	21	25.3	1.63×More than typical	77	$122,377	55
Construction of buildings	18	21.7	2.87×More than typical	71	$56,845	23
Lessors of real estate	16	19.3	1.56×More than typical	40	$35,475	66
Full-service restaurants	13	15.6	2.04×More than typical	155	$35,471	—
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	12	14.4	5.43×More than typical	18	$125,500	13
Other amusement and recreation industries	12	14.4	5.96×More than typical	18	$125,500	13
Ambulatory health care services	11	13.2	0.64×Fewer than typical	95	$87,305	31
Food manufacturing	11	13.2	14.3×More than typical	363	$55,008	—
Schools, colleges and instruction	11	13.2	3.78×More than typical	66	$40,121	44
Traveler accommodation	10	12	6.67×More than typical	56	$58,018	22
Fine arts, sports and other instruction	9	10.8	6.17×Too few to compare	46	$37,022	—

Rank places for an industry Open Sitka City and Borough

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 8,308 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 $16.9M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Sitka, Alaska: $2,015 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $16.9M; −80% vs FY2025
Per resident: $2,015; US $1,994
Sole-source: 22%; US 30%
Single offer: 4.5%; 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

U.S. Coast Guard$8.1M48%
Federal Aviation Administration$4.4M26%
Department of the Air Force$2.3M14%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources$1M6.1%
Forest Service$548.3K3.3%
National Park Service$264.2K1.6%
Department of Veterans Affairs$147.7K0.9%
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$26.7K0.2%

Top recipients

WELDIN CONSTRUCTION LLC$6.3M38%
KOBO UTILITY CONSTRUCTION CORP.$4.3M26%
ALASKA NORTHSTAR RESOURCES LLC$2.3M14%
SHEE ATIKA FEDERAL, LLC$1M6.1%
BRATSLAVSKY CONSULTING ENGINEERS, INC.$517.7K3.1%

Spending by fiscal year

9.6MFY2017
7.6MFY2018
3.5MFY2019
14.6MFY2020
13.7MFY2021
16.9MFY2022
29.1MFY2023
20.2M

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$6.9M41%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$4.9M29%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$2.3M14%
Data processing, hosting, and related services · 5182$1M6.1%
Support activities for water transportation · 4883$419.8K2.5%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Sitka, Alaska

DESIGN-BUILD CONSTRUCTION SERVICES TO COMPLETE THE SITKA WATERFRONT IMPROVEMENTS AT US COAST GUARD STATION SITKA IN SITKA, AK (PN 7198749)$50.9M
WHITING-TURNER CONTRACTING COMPANY, THE· Sitka City and Borough, AK· Construction & real property· Aug 14, 2025 – Aug 19, 2026· 70Z05025F43000003
MISSION PLANNING INFRASTRUCTURE, DATA & SUPPORT SERVICES$11.9M
ALASKA NORTHSTAR RESOURCES LLC· Sitka City and Borough, AK· IT & telecom· May 23, 2023 – May 21, 2026· FA873023CB025
AWARD AIRSTA SITKA HANGAR ROOF REPAIRS$7.3M
KLR NORTHERN JV· Sitka City and Borough, AK· Construction & real property· Jan 15, 2025 – Dec 16, 2025· 70Z08725FSITK0001

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 Sitka, Alaska, so they do not add up across cities.

Sitka, Alaska's figures are part of those of Sitka City and Borough, AK ($16.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 100% of that total.

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

See federal money in Sitka City and 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.

Sitka, 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.

Sitka City and Borough85100% of residents

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
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/0270540

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends