Census-designated place · Skagway Municipality, Alaska

Skagway, Alaska

Skagway is a census-designated place in Skagway Municipality, Alaska. It has 1,174 residents. Skagway, Alaska has a quality-of-life score of 87 out of 100 (very high), ranking #2,022 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Alaska it ranks #6 of 71 cities and towns. It ranks best on traffic deaths (low), average commute time (low) and arts, entertainment and recreation (high). It ranks worst on primary care physicians (low), distance to an airport (high) and distance to an emergency room (high).

87Very high

Quality-of-life score: #2,022 of 15,651 cities and towns
Alaska: #6 of 71 in AK
Population: 1,174 (2020-2024)
Land area: 9 mi²
Density: 124.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 0270760

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 62 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.

Safety91#1,473/15,637
Economy71#4,525/15,631
Housing83#2,475/14,977
Health85#2,414/15,609
Healthcare7#14,574/15,650
Environment—
Education93#1,108/15,649
Infrastructure76#3,787/15,650
Community85#2,314/15,651
Leisure & amenities61#6,132/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Skagway, Alaska ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Skagway Municipality 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 · low0.0 /100k
100/100Alaska 9.4 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataSkagway Municipality value
Average commute time · low4.9 min
100/100Alaska 19.4 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high81.5 /10k
100/100Alaska 9.1 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSkagway Municipality value
Natural hazard risk · low0.4
100/100Alaska 64.12025Federal Emergency Management AgencySkagway Municipality value
Public libraries · high9.1 /10k
100/100Alaska 1.1 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesSkagway Municipality value
Access to exercise opportunities · high100.0%
100/100Alaska 79.1%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSkagway Municipality value

Weaknesses

Primary care physicians · low0 /100k
0/100Alaska 96 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSkagway Municipality value
Distance to an airport · high515 mi
0/100Alaska 131 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauSkagway Municipality value
Distance to an emergency room · high85.6 mi
0/100Alaska 46.0 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesSkagway Municipality value
Dentists · low0 /100k
0/100Alaska 106 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSkagway Municipality value
Grocery stores · low0.0 /10k
0/100Alaska 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSkagway Municipality value
Social associations · low0.0 /10k
0/100Alaska 11.0 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSkagway Municipality value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,059 (2015-2019) → 1,174 (2020-2024)
+11%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
2.5 /1k (2021) → 8.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+246%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
20.6% (2015-2019) → 47.1% (2020-2024)
+26 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
21.5% (2015-2019) → 10.3% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.310 (2015-2019) → 0.447 (2020-2024)
+44%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
19.7% (2015-2019) → 28.4% (2020-2024)
+8.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, Skagway, Alaska improved on 1 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 8 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.

Improved1

Uninsured−11 points21.5% → 10.3%

Declined2

Inequality+0.1380.310 → 0.447
Rent burden+26 points20.6% → 47.1%

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Skagway, Alaska between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	5.0 min2015-2019	4.9 min2020-2024	−0.2 min	Within the margin of error	49%
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.4%2015-2019	29.3%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Broadband subscriptions	84.7%2015-2019	93.1%2020-2024	+8.3 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Effective property tax rate	0.47%2015-2019	0.44%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	20%
High school diploma or higher	94.7%2015-2019	97.5%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Home price to income ratio	4.7×2015-2019	4.8×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	73%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3102015-2019	0.4472020-2024	+0.138	Declined	2%
Median household income	$73,3932015-2019	$89,0282020-2024	+21%	Within the margin of error	36%
Rent as share of income	19.7%2015-2019	28.4%2020-2024	+8.7 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Rent-burdened households	20.6%2015-2019	47.1%2020-2024	+26 points	Declined	4%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	21.5%2015-2019	10.3%2020-2024	−11 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 Skagway, Alaska five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Skagway, 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, Skagway, Alaska itself moved −13.8 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

1,174 residents (±100)

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

403 households (±57)

Skagway, Alaska
Alaska share

Under $25k8.2%†33
$25k–50k18%†71
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

403 households (±57)

Skagway, Alaska
Alaska share

Own67%272
Rent33%131

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+15.4 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

689 workers (±111)

Skagway, Alaska
Alaska share

Drive alone40%†273
Carpool2.5%†17
Public transit

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 Skagway Municipality, the county holding most of Skagway's residents.

Skagway Municipality has 112 employer establishments, 1,028 for every 10,000 residents (4.14× the US rate of 248; 3.40× Alaska's), with 441 paid employees at an average annual pay of $87,662. The Census Bureau also counts 156 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 112; 156 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 1,028; US 248 · Alaska 302
Paid employees: 441
Average annual pay: $87,662; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Skagway Municipality by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	12	110	5.99×More than typical	64	$108,734	—
Clothing and accessories stores	11	101	27.8×More than typical	20	$99,150	11
Construction of buildings	7	64.2	8.49×Too few to compare	14	$62,214	4
Full-service restaurants	7	64.2	8.36×Too few to compare	52	$117,577	—
Traveler accommodation	6	55	30.5×Too few to compare	38	$100,395	3
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	4	36.7	13.8×Too few to compare	6	$96,833	4
Other amusement and recreation industries	4	36.7	15.1×Too few to compare	6	$96,833	4
Child day care services	3	27.5	11.3×Too few to compare	5	$30,800	—
Grocery and convenience stores	3	27.5	9.27×Too few to compare	35	$28,971	—
Snack and non-alcoholic beverage bars	3	27.5	10.9×Too few to compare	1	$272,000	—
Specialty trade contractors	3	27.5	1.78×Too few to compare	14	$152,214	4
Sporting goods and hobby stores	3	27.5	25.7×Too few to compare	4	$94,750	—

Rank places for an industry Open Skagway Municipality

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,090 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 $640.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Skagway, Alaska: $545 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $640.2K; +984% vs FY2025
Per resident: $545; US $1,994
Sole-source: 4.7%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Top recipients

HAMILTON CONSTRUCTION, LLC$497.3K78%
SEALASKA CONSTRUCTORS LLC$98.7K15%
SMNC SOLUTIONS-AMES1 JOINT VENTURE, LLC$30.3K4.7%
NORTHERN MANAGEMENT SERVICES, INC.$20.8K3.2%
HEGER CONSTRUCTION, LLC$1,2250.2%

Spending by fiscal year

13.9KFY2017
5.7KFY2018
8.6KFY2019
35.1KFY2020
113.7KFY2021
96.7KFY2022
31.2KFY2023
46.4KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$497.3K78%
Utility system construction · 2371$98.7K15%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$30.3K4.7%
Facilities support services · 5612$20.8K3.2%
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors · 2381$1,2250.2%
Nonscheduled air transportation · 4812$579

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

Skagway, Alaska's figures are part of those of Skagway Municipality, AK ($29.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 2.2% of that total.

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

See federal money in Skagway Municipality

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.

Skagway, 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.

Skagway Municipality72100% 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
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/0270760

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends