Alaska population, people and demographics

Alaska's population: about where it was in 2013

The Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate, 737,270, is below the state's high point of 743,397 in 2016. The estimates rose every year from 2000 to 2013, reaching 738,054⁹ that year, then moved within a narrow band: down to 732,906 in July 2020 and back up by a few thousand since. Alaska is 0.22% of the US population, the 3rd smallest among the 50 states and the 2nd smallest in the West¹. No state shares a boundary with Alaska, so this page compares it with the nation and with the states closest to it in each ranking.

Source: Census Bureau, Intercensal Estimates of the Resident Population for States, 2000-2010; Census Bureau, Intercensal Estimates of the Resident Population for States, 2010-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. July 1 estimates: intercensal series for 2000–2019, Vintage 2025 for 2020–2025.

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Year	Alaska
2000	627,963
2001	633,714
2002	642,337
2003	648,414
2004	659,286
2005	666,946
2006	675,302
2007	680,300
2008	687,455
2009	698,895
2010	714,015
2011	722,513
2012	731,106
2013	738,054
2014	737,634
2015	739,120
2016	743,397
2017	741,937
2018	737,710
2019	734,820
2020	732,906
2021	734,590
2022	733,659
2023	734,654
2024	736,537
2025	737,270

The longer record is one of fast growth that has slowed. The census first counted the territory in 1880, when it found 33,426 people; the 1920 count, 55,036, was lower than the 1910 count. The first census after statehood, in 1960, found 226,167, the fewest of any state or DC. The count reached 401,851¹¹ in 1980 and 626,932 in 2000. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses Alaska grew 3.3%, 4.1 percentage points below the US figure (7.4%), to 733,391⁶.

Births add people, other states take them away

Two forces pull in opposite directions. In the year to June 2025, Alaska recorded 8,867 births and 5,559 deaths. That death count is the lowest of any state (the District of Columbia is lower), and the natural increase of 4.5 per 1,000 residents is the 3rd highest rate in the nation, 195% above the US figure (1.5 per 1,000 residents). The birth rate, 12.0 per 1,000 residents, ranks 6th highest; the death rate, 7.5 per 1,000 residents, is 17% below the US figure (9.1 per 1,000 residents)¹.

Migration takes most of that gain back. Net domestic migration was −4,525 in the same year, a rate of −6.1 per 1,000 residents, the 3rd lowest in the country. Arrivals from abroad, 1,959, did not cover the gap. Counting both, Alaska's net migration rate of −3.5 per 1,000 residents was the lowest in the nation, below California (−3.0 per 1,000 residents). The result was a gain of just 733¹ people.

The pattern has held every year since the 2020 census. From April 2020 to June 2025, births exceeded deaths by 18,405, net international migration added 9,814, and net domestic migration was −24,270. Alaska is one of 24 states, plus the District of Columbia, that lost more residents to other states than they gained between April 2020 and June 2025¹.

More men than women, by the widest margin in the US

No state has more men per woman than Alaska. The Census Bureau's population estimates put the sex ratio at 108.7 males per 100 females on July 1, 2025, the highest in the nation. The next highest is North Dakota at 104.9, and the national figure is 96.4. Males make up 52.1% of the population, against 49.1%¹² nationally.

Alaska108.7

North Dakota104.9

Wyoming102.8

South Dakota101.8

Utah101.4

Colorado100.9

Montana100.9

Idaho100.4

Nevada99.8

Nebraska99.7

United States96.4

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Period: July 1, 2025.

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State	Males per 100 females
Alaska	108.7
North Dakota	104.9
Wyoming	102.8
South Dakota	101.8
Utah	101.4
Colorado	100.9
Montana	100.9
Idaho	100.4
Nevada	99.8
Nebraska	99.7
United States	96.4

The 2025 American Community Survey gives a similar answer, 109.4 (±1.8), with 385,000 males and 352,000¹⁴ females. The difference from the US ratio is statistically significant¹³. Women in Alaska have a median age of 37.9 years and men 36.2 years; both are below the national medians (40.8 years and 38.2 years³).

What percent of Alaska is Native?

More than one Alaskan in five identifies as Alaska Native or American Indian. In the 2025 survey, 22.2% of residents (±0.5 percentage points) gave American Indian or Alaska Native as their race, alone or with another race, the highest in the nation and well above second-placed Oklahoma (17.0%). The national share is 3.2%¹⁵. Counting only those who reported that race alone, the population estimates give 15.6% for July 2025, unchanged from 15.6% in 2020¹².

Single group (adds to 100%)Alone or in combination with other races

White, not Hispanic55.8% 70.7%

American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic14.1% 22.2%

Two or more races, not Hispanic10.1%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)8.2%

Asian, not Hispanic6.5% 9.4%

Black, not Hispanic3.0% 5.0%

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic1.7% 3.2%

Some other race, not Hispanic0.5%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B03002; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B02009. The dark bars are mutually exclusive and add to 100%. The light bars count everyone who reported the race, alone or with another race and of any ethnicity, so they overlap and add to more than 100%.

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Group	Share (single group)	MOE	Alone or in combination
White, not Hispanic	55.8%	±0.2	70.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic	14.1%	±0.6	22.2%
Two or more races, not Hispanic	10.1%	±0.8	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	8.2%		–
Asian, not Hispanic	6.5%	±0.4	9.4%
Black, not Hispanic	3.0%	±0.3	5.0%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic	1.7%	±0.3	3.2%
Some other race, not Hispanic	0.5%	±0.2	–

Most of these residents identify as Alaska Native rather than American Indian. The 2020 Census counted 102,765 people who reported Alaska Native as their only race and 138,087 who reported it alone or with another group. American Indian alone was reported by 4,620¹⁷.

The largest write-in response was Yup'ik (Yup'ik Eskimo), given by 11,124 people, followed by Tlingit (8,904), Inupiat (Inupiaq) (7,538), Alaskan Athabascan (6,542) and Aleut (5,614). The order changes when only single responses are counted: Inupiat (Inupiaq) moves to second place, with 4,590¹⁷ people. The table keeps the Census Bureau's categories as published; one person can report several groups, so the rows overlap and cannot be added up.

The Native presence shows in language too. Over 2020–2024, 3.6% of residents aged 5 and older (24,996 people) spoke a Native North American language at home, other than Navajo, the highest share of any state. Of those speakers, 13.7%¹⁸ spoke English less than "very well".

Mixed race and Pacific communities

Many Alaskans report more than one race. The share of residents of two or more races, 10.6% in July 2025, is tied for 2nd highest in the nation, more than twice the national 4.9%¹². The most common combination is white and American Indian or Alaska Native: 41,270 people (±4,795), or 5.6%¹⁹ of the population in 2025.

Non-Hispanic white residents are 55.8%, down from 57.0% in 2024. The non-Hispanic Asian share, 6.5%, is not statistically different from the US figure (6.5%), while the Black share (3.0%) and the Hispanic share (8.2%²) are both well below the national figures. On the diversity index, the chance that two residents picked at random belong to different groups, Alaska scores 64.6, 11th most diverse²⁰.

The Asian population is mostly Filipino: 26,103 people over 2020–2024 (±1,670), 3.5% of all residents and the 3rd highest share of any state. Tagalog is spoken at home by 2.5% of residents aged 5 and older, against 0.6%²² nationally. Alaska also has the 3rd highest Hmong share of any state (0.71%²¹). Its Samoan share, 0.91% (6,722 people), is tied for highest²³ among the states.

The least densely populated state

Alaska covers 665,725 square miles of land and water, the largest in the nation, and 571,242 square miles²⁴ of land alone. Spread over that land, its population works out to 1.3 people per square mile, the least densely populated in the nation. The next least dense states, Wyoming and Montana, have 6.1 people per square mile and 7.9 people per square mile; the US average is 96.7 people per square mile²⁵.

Alaska 1.3District of Columbia 11,347.8

Source: States Demographics, Computed. Each dot is a state. Period: July 1, 2025.

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State	People per sq mi
District of Columbia	11,347.8
New Jersey	1,298.2
Rhode Island	1,078.0
Massachusetts	917.1
Connecticut	761.7
Maryland	645.2
Delaware	544.0
Florida	437.3
New York	424.5
Pennsylvania	291.9
Ohio	291.3
California	252.5
North Carolina	230.3
Illinois	229.1
Virginia	224.9
Hawaii	223.1
Georgia	195.8
Indiana	194.6
South Carolina	185.3
Michigan	178.9
Tennessee	177.4
New Hampshire	158.1
Texas	121.4
Washington	120.4
Kentucky	116.7
Wisconsin	110.3
Louisiana	106.9
Alabama	102.5
Missouri	91.2
West Virginia	73.5
Minnesota	73.2
Vermont	69.9
Arizona	67.1
Mississippi	63.0
Oklahoma	60.1
Arkansas	59.9
Colorado	58.0
Iowa	58.0
Maine	45.9
Oregon	44.5
Utah	42.8
Kansas	36.4
Nevada	29.9
Nebraska	26.3
Idaho	24.6
New Mexico	17.5
South Dakota	12.3
North Dakota	11.6
Montana	7.9
Wyoming	6.1
Alaska	1.3

Low density does not mean most people live in the countryside. At the 2020 Census, 64.9% of Alaskans lived in urban areas and 35.1% in rural ones, 15.1 percentage points above the US figure (20.0%) and 15th highest²⁶ among the states. Commutes are short: the average trip to work takes 20.0 minutes (±1.0 minutes), 7.4 minutes below the US figure (27.4 minutes)²⁷, and only 5.6%²⁸ of workers travel an hour or more. Few work from home: 7.1%, 3rd lowest²⁹ among the states. This site covers states only; it does not publish figures for Anchorage, Fairbanks, Wasilla or other places.

Young, but with a growing group over 65

With a median age of 37.0 years (±0.3 years), Alaska is the 4th youngest state, 2.5 years below the US figure (39.5 years)³. In the survey's yearly series the median is up from 33.9 years in 2005³⁰. Children under 5 are 6.1% of residents, tied for 3rd highest¹², and the general fertility rate of 60.8 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 in 2024 was 3rd highest³¹.

MenWomenUnited States

MenWomen

85+

80–84

75–79

70–74

65–69

60–64

55–59

50–54

45–49

40–44

35–39

30–34

25–29

20–24

15–19

10–14

5–9

0–4

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Share of the total population in each age group. Vertical ticks: the United States.

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Age	Men (%)	Women (%)	US men (%)	US women (%)
0-4	3.13	2.94	2.76	2.65
5-9	3.28	3.15	2.96	2.83
10-14	3.43	3.30	3.08	2.95
15-19	3.47	3.03	3.31	3.16
20-24	3.89	2.90	3.43	3.28
25-29	3.97	3.40	3.46	3.37
30-34	3.95	3.53	3.41	3.38
35-39	4.04	3.67	3.38	3.40
40-44	3.66	3.34	3.21	3.27
45-49	3.00	2.71	2.93	3.03
50-54	2.77	2.54	2.83	2.96
55-59	2.78	2.61	2.86	3.02
60-64	2.96	2.79	2.96	3.21
65-69	2.75	2.72	2.75	3.08
70-74	2.27	2.28	2.26	2.64
75-79	1.52	1.50	1.71	2.08
80-84	0.75	0.85	1.00	1.32
85+	0.46	0.66	0.78	1.28

The top of the pyramid is narrow. Residents 85 and older are 1.1% of the population, the lowest in the nation, and those 65 and older are 15.8%, 4th lowest. That older group is growing fast: 116,192 people in July 2025, up from 96,062 in 2020, a rise of 20,130 (21.0%). Over the same period the number of children under 18 fell to 171,700, down from 179,962 in 2020. The old-age dependency ratio, people of retirement age per 100 of working age, went from 21.0 to 25.9¹².

Who comes and goes

Alaskans move often. In 2025, 4.0% of residents had lived in another state a year earlier, 1.9 percentage points above the US figure (2.1%); allowing for the margins of error, the state ranks between 2nd and 10th³². Fewer than half of residents, 44.6%, were born in Alaska, 11.8 percentage points below the US figure (56.4%). Of those born elsewhere in the US, the largest group came from other Western states (20.8%³³ of all residents).

Moved to Alaska from

Texas2,685 ±1,187

Washington2,597 ±1,264

South Carolina1,982 ±1,350

California1,950 ±807

Tennessee1,893 ±879

Massachusetts1,834 ±2,327

Colorado1,526 ±788

Virginia1,338 ±911

Left Alaska for

Colorado3,700 ±1,512

Washington3,176 ±1,175

California3,022 ±1,823

Texas2,981 ±1,262

Florida2,693 ±1,896

Arizona2,522 ±1,549

Utah2,147 ±1,442

North Carolina1,963 ±1,213

Source: Census Bureau, State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024. People aged 1 and over who lived in another state a year earlier (and the reverse). Survey estimates: whiskers show the 90% margin of error.

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State	Moved in from	Moved out to
Texas	2,685 ±1,187	2,981 ±1,262
Washington	2,597 ±1,264	3,176 ±1,175
South Carolina	1,982 ±1,350	–
California	1,950 ±807	3,022 ±1,823
Tennessee	1,893 ±879	–
Massachusetts	1,834 ±2,327	–
Colorado	1,526 ±788	3,700 ±1,512
Virginia	1,338 ±911	–
Florida	1,069 ±680	2,693 ±1,896
Arizona	1,336 ±1,005	2,522 ±1,549
Utah	–	2,147 ±1,442
North Carolina	–	1,963 ±1,213

The Census Bureau's survey of movers for 2024 counted 29,456 people moving to Alaska from other states (±4,591) and 39,842 moving the other way (±5,627), a net change of −10,386 (±7,263). Texas and Washington sent the most people; Colorado and Washington received the most, and the flow to Colorado was not statistically different from the flow to Washington³⁴. Tax records point the same way: on returns for 2022 and 2023, 29,748 people moved out and 25,599³⁵ moved in.

High incomes, high prices for goods and utilities

The median household income was $95,220 in 2025 (±$4,301), $10,440 (12%) above the US figure ($84,780); allowing for the margins of error, Alaska ranks between 11th and 16th. Adjusted for inflation, the median is not statistically different from $92,699 in 2005 (in 2025 dollars), so real household income has not changed measurably in two decades. The US median was $76,228³⁰ in 2005 and $84,780⁴ in 2025, in the same 2025 dollars.

AlaskaUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2005-2019 and 2021-2025. ACS 1-year estimates; no standard 1-year release for 2020. Adjusted to 2025 dollars with the CPI-U annual average. Shaded band: 90% margin of error.

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Year	Alaska	United States
2005	$92,699 ±$2,979	$76,228 ±$171
2006	$94,847 ±$2,303	$77,373 ±$131
2007	$99,891 ±$2,475	$78,785 ±$116
2008	$102,368 ±$2,866	$77,799 ±$109
2009	$100,472 ±$3,498	$75,364 ±$111
2010	$95,342 ±$3,078	$73,889 ±$94
2011	$97,074 ±$2,788	$72,281 ±$104
2012	$94,948 ±$2,656	$72,034 ±$74
2013	$99,830 ±$2,615	$72,209 ±$90
2014	$97,347 ±$2,426	$72,969 ±$126
2015	$99,639 ±$3,146	$75,760 ±$115
2016	$102,536 ±$2,991	$77,287 ±$154
2017	$96,117 ±$3,452	$79,246 ±$113
2018	$95,319 ±$2,933	$79,409 ±$121
2019	$95,029 ±$3,392	$82,750 ±$149
2021	$92,489 ±$2,552	$82,832 ±$159
2022	$96,940 ±$3,085	$82,236 ±$163
2023	$91,533 ±$2,721	$82,117 ±$197
2024	$98,182 ±$3,364	$83,751 ±$131
2025	$95,220 ±$4,301	$84,780 ±$215

Incomes are less spread out than nationally. Only 10.5% of households had income under $25,000, 3.5 percentage points below the US figure (14.0%), while 31.5% had between $100,000 and $200,000, 3.5 percentage points above the US figure (28.0%)³⁶. The Gini index, a standard measure of inequality, is 0.442, 8% below the US figure (0.482)³⁷. Returns reporting $1 million or more held 8.1% of all income in 2023, 3rd lowest³⁸ among the states.

Prices vary by category. The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Alaska's overall price level at 102.4 for 2024 (US = 100), 14th most expensive. Goods cost more (106.3, 5th most expensive) and utilities much more (119.0, 21% above the US figure (98.4)), but housing rents are lower (93.8). The median home value was $385,100⁴⁰ and the median gross rent $1,500⁴¹, and 43.2% of renters spent three-tenths or more of their income on housing, 8.6 percentage points below the US figure (51.8%)⁴². Adjusted for prices, personal income per person was $60,272 in 2024, $1,077 (2%) above the US figure ($59,195)³⁹.

The poverty rate, 11.0% (±1.2 percentage points), is not statistically different from the US figure (11.8%). Child poverty rose to 15.4%, up from 13.0% in 2024. Older Alaskans are much less often poor: 7.0% of residents 65 and older were below the poverty line, 4.2 percentage points below the US figure (11.2%)⁵. SNAP food benefits are larger than almost anywhere: the average was $318.16 per person per month in fiscal year 2025, 2nd highest⁴³, according to the Department of Agriculture.

The highest share of veterans

Veterans make up 9.7% of civilian adults (±0.7 percentage points), the highest point estimate of any state, ahead of Virginia (9.0%); allowing for sampling error, Alaska ranks between 1st and 2nd. That is 53,052 people in 2025. They served more recently than veterans nationally: 43.5% served after September 2001, against 31.4% in the US, and the Vietnam-era share, 21.4%, is 9.5 percentage points below the US figure (30.9%)⁴⁵. Women are 15.2% of Alaska's veterans, 3.8 percentage points above the US figure (11.4%)⁴⁴.

Health coverage and life expectancy

In 2025, 13.6% of Alaskans (±0.8 percentage points) had no health insurance, the 2nd highest share after Texas, up from 11.0% in 2024. Among children under 19 the rate was 12.7%, up from 8.8% in 2024 and 6.6 percentage points above the US figure (6.1%)⁴⁷. Enrollment records show Medicaid and CHIP covering 28.3% of residents in June 2026, 6th highest, after a change of −7.2%⁴⁸ from June 2025.

Texas16.5% ±0.2

Alaska13.6% ±0.8

Oklahoma12.6% ±0.3

Arizona11.8% ±0.3

Georgia11.7% ±0.3

Nevada11.5% ±0.5

Montana10.9% ±0.6

Florida10.5% ±0.2

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B27010. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2025.

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State	Uninsured rate	MOE
Texas	16.5%	±0.2
Alaska	13.6%	±0.8
Oklahoma	12.6%	±0.3
Arizona	11.8%	±0.3
Georgia	11.7%	±0.3
Nevada	11.5%	±0.5
Montana	10.9%	±0.6
Florida	10.5%	±0.2

Life expectancy at birth was 75.8 years in 2022, 1.7 years below the US figure (77.5 years): 73.7 years for men and 78.3 years⁴⁹ for women. The infant mortality rate, 6.8 per 1,000 live births in 2024, was 9th highest, and the age-adjusted drug overdose death rate was 45.1 per 100,000, age-adjusted, 95% above the US figure (23.1 per 100,000, age-adjusted)⁵⁰.

Households, homes and schooling

Grandparents play a large role in raising children: 49.1% of grandparents who live with their grandchildren are responsible for them (±6.5 percentage points), 19.1 percentage points above the US figure (30.0%)⁵¹. The divorce rate was 3.1 per 1,000 residents in 2024, 6th highest⁵² among the states that report divorces.

Of 330,538⁵³ housing units, 15.6% were vacant in 2025, 3rd highest⁵⁴ in the nation. The homeownership rate, 66.5%, is 1.2 percentage points above the US figure (65.3%)⁵⁵.

Among adults 25 and older, 94.1% have at least a high school diploma, 3.5 percentage points above the US figure (90.6%), and 32.9% (±1.4 percentage points) hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 4.5 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%)⁵⁶. The public high school graduation rate tells a different story: 78% of students who started ninth grade finished in four years in the 2021–2022 school year, 3rd lowest⁵⁷ among the states that published a rate (New Mexico and Oklahoma did not). The two measures cover different people: adults living in Alaska, wherever they studied, and recent public school students.