Demographics of Alaska

See also: List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska

Alaska population density map as of 2020 Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1880| 33,426| | —
1890| 32,052| | −4.1%
1900| 63,592| | 98.4%
1910| 64,356| | 1.2%
1920| 55,036| | −14.5%
1930| 59,278| | 7.7%
1940| 72,524| | 22.3%
1950| 128,643| | 77.4%
1960| 226,167| | 75.8%
1970| 300,382| | 32.8%
1980| 401,851| | 33.8%
1990| 550,043| | 36.9%
2000| 626,932| | 14.0%
2010| 710,231| | 13.3%
2020| 733,391| | 3.3%
1930 and 1940 censuses taken in preceding autumn
Sources: 1910–2020[1]
Map of the largest racial/ethnic group by borough. Red indicates Native American, blue indicates non-Hispanic white, and green indicates Asian. Darker shades indicate a higher proportion of the population.

As of 2020, Alaska has a population of 733,391.

In 2005, the population of Alaska was 663,661, which is an increase of 5,906, or 0.9%, from the prior year and an increase of 36,730, or 5.9%, since the year 2000.[2] This includes a natural increase since the last census of 36,590 people (53,132 births minus 16,542 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 1,181 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 5,800 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 4,619 people. More than half of the state's population lives in Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks, with two-fifths in Anchorage alone. The Matanuska-Susistna Borough is one of the nation's fastest growing areas, with an estimated population of 100,000 and projections of 130,000 by 2027.[3] The last census of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in 2019 showed a population of 108,317.[4] The Matanuska-Susitna Borough contains the incorporated townships of Wasilla and Palmer and is home to an indigenous population, The Dena'ina people have been in the area for 10,000 years. Knik Tribal Council is a federally recognized tribe in the MAT-SU and a non-profit social service organization for Natives in the MAT-SU region.[5] This area contains the cities of Meadow Lakes, Big Lake, Houston, Talkeetna, Willow. There is 1 city, townships and other populated areas in the Matanuska-Susistna Borough.[6]

With a population of 733,391, according to the 2023 U.S. census,[7] Alaska is the 49th most populous and least densely populated state.

For purposes of the federal census, the state is divided into artificial divisions defined geographically by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.

The center of population of Alaska is located approximately 64.37 kilometers (40.00 mi) east of Anchorage at 61.399882 N. latitude, 148.873973 W. longitude.[8] In 2006, Alaska had a larger percentage of tobacco smokers than the national average, with 24% of Alaskan adults smoking.[9]

## History

[edit]

The 1870 Census in Alaska was conducted by U.S. Army personnel under the command of Major General Henry W. Halleck. This count showed 82,400 people. But because of duplication of tribes listed under different names, the inclusion of a tribe that did not exist, and exaggerated estimates, the number was not considered reliable.[10]

## Ancestry

[edit]

According to the 2020 United States census, the racial composition of Alaska was the following:[11]

* White: 64.1% (Non-Hispanic White: 58.8%)
* American Indian or Alaskan Native 15.7%
* Asian 6.7% (4.4% Filipino, 0.3% Chinese, 0.2% Laotian, 0.2% Japanese, 0.1% Indian, 0.1% Vietnamese, 0.1% Thai)
* Black 3.7%
* Pacific Islander: 1.7% (0.7% Samoan, 0.1% Hawaiian, 0.1% Tongan)
* Two or more races: 8.2%
* Other races: 1.7%

The population was 7.7% of Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race). See Hispanics and Latinos in Alaska to learn more.

The largest ancestry groups (which the Census defines as not including racial terms) in the state are:[12]

* 18.3% German
* 11.0% Irish
* 8.5% English
* 6.5% Norwegian
* 4.4% Filipino
* 3.8% French
* 3.7% Native American
* 3.3% Italian
* 3.0% Mexican
* 2.9% Scottish
* 2.7% Polish
* 2.5% Swedish
* 1.9% Dutch
* 1.4% Russian

The vast and sparsely populated regions of northern and western Alaska are primarily inhabited by Alaska Natives, who are also numerous in the southeast. Anchorage, Fairbanks, and other parts of south-central and southeast Alaska have many White Americans of northern and western European ancestry. The Wrangell-Petersburg area has many residents of Scandinavian ancestry and the Aleutian Islands contain a large Filipino population. The vast majority of the state's Black population lives in Anchorage and Fairbanks. Also, Alaska has the largest percentage of American Indians of any state. Some of the Alaska Natives absorbed the small 1700s Russian-era settlement. There are some Creole people of natives and Russians mixture.

Demographics of Alaska (csv) By race | White  | Black  | AIAN*  | Asian  | NHPI*

|
|
|
|
|

2000 (total population)  | 75.43%  | 4.46%  | 19.06%  | 5.24%  | 0.88%
2000 (Hispanic only)  | 3.42%  | 0.33%  | 0.45%  | 0.16%  | 0.06%
2005 (total population)  | 74.71%  | 4.72%  | 18.77%  | 5.90%  | 0.88%
2005 (Hispanic only)  | 4.32%  | 0.38%  | 0.48%  | 0.19%  | 0.05%
Growth 2000–05 (total population)  | 4.85%  | 12.03%  | 4.27%  | 19.23%  | 5.35%
Growth 2000–05 (non-Hispanic only)  | 3.49%  | 11.30%  | 4.02%  | 18.96%  | 5.86%
Growth 2000–05 (Hispanic only)  | 33.56%  | 21.02%  | 14.52%  | 27.89%  | -1.95%
* AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

## Birth data

[edit]

Note: Births in table don't add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.

Live Births by Single Race/Ethnicity of Mother  Race | 2013[13] | 2014[14] | 2015[15] | 2016[16] | 2017[17] | 2018[18] | 2019[19] | 2020[20] | 2021[21] | 2022[22] | 2023[23]

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

White | 6,622 (57.8%)  | 6,541 (57.4%)  | 6,543 (58.0%)  | 5,787 (51.6%)  | 5,259 (50.3%)  | 5,057 (50.1%)  | 4,859 (49.5%)  | 4,770 (50.4%)  | 4,695 (50.1%)  | 4,639 (49.6%)  | 4,353 (48.3%)
American Indian | 2,462 (21.5%)  | 2,450 (21.5%)  | 2,415 (21.4%)  | 2,110 (18.8%)  | 1,903 (18.2%)  | 1,873 (18.6%)  | 1,885 (19.2%)  | 1,797 (19.0%)  | 1,730 (18.5%)  | 1,727 (18.5%)  | 1,706 (18.9%)
Asian | 1,053 (9.2%)  | 1,106 (9.7%)  | 1,114 (9.9%)  | 691 (6.2%)  | 686 (6.6%)  | 641 (6.4%)  | 581 (5.9%)  | 524 (5.5%)  | 505 (5.4%)  | 563 (6.0%)  | 487 (5.4%)
Pacific Islander | ...  | ...  | ...  | 289 (2.6%)  | 308 (2.9%)  | 299 (3.0%)  | 302 (3.1%)  | 325 (3.4%)  | 295 (3.1%)  | 311 (3.3%)  | 310 (3.4%)
Black | 524 (4.6%)  | 548 (4.8%)  | 509 (4.5%)  | 319 (2.8%)  | 329 (3.1%)  | 280 (2.8%)  | 290 (3.0%)  | 281 (3.0%)  | 243 (2.6%)  | 249 (2.7%)  | 212 (2.4%)
Hispanic (any race)  | 848 (7.4%) | 841 (7.4%) | 810 (7.2%) | 811 (7.2%) | 799 (7.6%) | 807 (8.0%) | 787 (8.0%) | 734 (7.8%) | 798 (8.5%) | 794 (8.5%) | 793 (8.8%)
Total | 11,446 (100%)  | 11,392 (100%)  | 11,282 (100%)  | 11,209 (100%)  | 10,445 (100%)  | 10,086 (100%)  | 9,822 (100%)  | 9,469 (100%)  | 9,367 (100%)  | 9,359 (100%)  | 9,015 (100%)

* Since 2016, data for births of White Hispanic origin are not collected, but included in one Hispanic group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

## Languages

[edit]

According to the 2005-2007 American Community Survey, 84.7% of people over the age of five speak only English at home. About 3.5% speak Spanish at home. About 2.2% speak an Indo-European language other than Spanish or English at home, about 4.3% speak an Asian language at home and about 5.3% speak other languages at home.

A total of 5.2% of Alaskans speak one of the state's 22 indigenous languages, known locally as "native languages". These languages belong to two major language families: Eskimo–Aleut and Na-Dené. As the homeland of these two major language families of North America, Alaska has been described as the crossroads of the continent, providing evidence for the recent settlement of North America via the Bering land bridge.

* Eskimo–Aleut family
* Aleut
* Eskimo family
* Central Alaskan Yup'ik
* Central Siberian Yupik (Yuit)
* Alutiiq (Pacific Gulf Yupik)
* Inuit family
* Iñupiaq
* Na-Dene family
* Tlingit
* Eyak
* Athabaskan family (spec. Northern Athabaskan)
* Ahtna
* Dena’ina (Tanaina)
* Deg Xinag (Deg Hit'an)
* Gwich’in (Kutchin)
* Hän
* Holikachuk (Innoko)
* Koyukon
* Upper Kuskokwim (Kolchan)
* Lower Tanana (Tanana)
* Tanacross
* Upper Tanana
* Haida language
* Tsimshianic
* Coast Tsimshian[24]

## Religion

[edit]

See also: Alaska Native religion

Religion in Alaska (2014)[25]

1. Protestant Christian (36%)
2. Roman Catholic (16%)
3. Orthodox Christian (5%)
4. Latter-day Saint (5%)
5. Non-Christian religions (6%)
6. Unaffiliated (31%)
7. Don't know/refused answer (1%)

Russian Orthodox church in Sitka, Alaska

* Christian – 62%[25]
* Evangelical Protestant – 22%
* Mainline Protestant – 12%
* Historically Black Protestant – 3%
* Roman Catholic – 16%
* Orthodoxy – 5%
* Latter-day Saint – 5%
* Jehovah's Witnesses – <0.5%
* Other Christian – <0.5%

Other religions[25]

* Jewish – <1%
* Buddhist\- 1%
* Islam – <1%
* Hindu – <1%
* Other world religions – 1%
* Other faiths – 4%
* Unaffiliated – 31%
* Refused to answer – 1%

Alaska's relatively large Orthodox Christian population is notable. The large Eastern Orthodox population (with 49 parishes and up to 50,000 followers) stems from early Russian colonization of the Americas (which centered on Alaska), and from missionary work among Alaska Natives. In 1794 the first Russian Orthodox church was built in Kodiak by monks who had arrived from the Valaam Monastery. Intermarriage with Alaskan Natives helped Russian immigrants integrate into Alaskan societies. As a result, a number of Russian Orthodox parishes gradually became established in Alaska. As of 2021[update] many are affiliated with the Orthodox Church in America, while others are members of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.

The first Sitka Lutheran Church was built for Finnish people in New Archangel (present-day Sitka) in 1843.

Alaska has the largest Quaker population (by percentage) of any U.S. state.[26]

As of 1994[update], 3,060 Jews lived in Alaska.[27] The number of Jehovah's Witnesses stands at a little less than 2,400. Estimates for the number of Alaskan Muslims range from 1,000 to 5,000.[28]

## See also

[edit]

* List of cities in Alaska

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020)". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
2. ^ "Graphical Library of Demographic Change in Arctic Alaska". Retrieved 7 July 2018.
3. ^ "Matanuska Susitna Borough/Business/A Haven for Commercial and Industrial Development and Small Business". Retrieved 2 August 2021.
4. ^ "QuickFacts Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska". Retrieved 2 August 2021.
5. ^ "Borough respects Knik Tribal Council's wishes". Retrieved 2 August 2021.
6. ^ "Matanuska-Susitna Borough AK Cities, Towns, & Neighborhoods". Retrieved 2 August 2021.
7. ^ U.S. Census Bureau. (2001-04-02). "Census 2000 PHC-T-2. Ranking Tables for States: 1990 and 2000. Table 1. States Ranked by Population: 2000." U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. Retrieved on 2007-06-12.
8. ^ Population and Population Centers by State: 2010. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
9. ^ CDC's STATE System - State Comparison Report Cigarette Use (Adults) – BRFSS for 2006, lists Alaska as having 24.2% smokers. The national average is 20.8% according to Cigarette Smoking Among Adults-United States, 2006 article in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
10. ^ "Getting to Hard-to-Reach Villages Before Spring Thaw and Start of Hunting Season".
11. ^ "American FactFinder - Results". Archived from the original on 2014-03-05. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
12. ^ "American FactFinder - Results". factfinder2.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
13. ^ "National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 64, Number 1" (PDF). cdc.gov. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
14. ^ "National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 64, Number 12" (PDF). cdc.gov. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
15. ^ "National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 66, Number 1" (PDF). cdc.gov. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
16. ^ https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf [bare URL PDF]
17. ^ https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf [bare URL PDF]
18. ^ "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
19. ^ "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
20. ^ "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
21. ^ "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
22. ^ "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
23. ^ "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
24. ^ Coast Tsimshian is not technically indigenous to Alaska, the Coast Tsimshian people having moved north from British Columbia in the historic period. Nevertheless it is usually grouped with the other Native languages.
25. ^ a b c "Adults in Alaska". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. May 11, 2015.
26. ^ Samuel, Bill (9 April 2004) [1999]. "Distribution of Quakers in the U.S." QuakerInfo.com. Retrieved 14 April 2021. "[...] Alaska [...] has far and away the largest percentage of Friends in its population, despite relatively low absolute numbers [...]"
27. ^ "j. – Alaskan Jews trying to connect, says study". jewishsf.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
28. ^ Alaskan Muslims Avoid Conflict Archived January 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

## External links

[edit]

* "Alaska State Legislature". www.akleg.gov.
* 2000 Census of Population and Housing for Alaska, U.S. Census Bureau
* Graphical Library of Demographic Change in Arctic Alaska

* v
* t
* e

State of Alaska

Juneau (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Climate
* Geography
* Geology
* Earthquakes
* Government
* Delegations
* History
* Music
* People
* Symbols
* Transportation
* Wildlife

Society|

* Abortion
* Cannabis
* Climate change
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Elections
* Gun laws
* Homelessness
* LGBT rights
* Rural dentistry
* Politics
* Sports

Regions|

* The Bush
* Arctic
* Aleutian Islands
* Alaska Peninsula
* North Slope
* Southwest
* Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta
* Inside Passage
* Interior
* Kenai Peninsula
* Mat‑Su Valley
* Seward Peninsula
* Southcentral
* Southeast
* Tanana Valley

Largest cities
pop. over 25,000|

* Anchorage
* Fairbanks
* Juneau

Smaller cities
pop. over 2,000|

* Bethel
* Cordova
* Dillingham
* Homer
* Kenai
* Ketchikan
* Kodiak
* Kotzebue
* Nome
* North Pole
* Palmer
* Petersburg
* Seward
* Sitka
* Soldotna
* Unalaska
* Valdez
* Wasilla
* Wrangell
* Utqiaġvik

Boroughs|

* Aleutians East
* Anchorage
* Bristol Bay
* Denali
* Fairbanks North Star
* Haines
* Juneau
* Kenai Peninsula
* Ketchikan Gateway
* Kodiak Island
* Lake and Peninsula
* Matanuska‑Susitna
* North Slope
* Northwest Arctic
* Petersburg
* Sitka
* Skagway
* Wrangell
* Yakutat
* Unorganized

Native corporations|

* Arctic Slope Regional Corporation
* Bering Straits Native Corporation
* NANA Regional Corporation
* Calista Corporation
* Doyon, Limited
* Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
* Bristol Bay Native Corporation
* The Aleut Corporation
* Chugach Alaska Corporation
* Sealaska Corporation
* Koniag, Incorporated
* Ahtna, Incorporated
* The 13th Regional Corporation

Census Areas|

* Aleutians West
* Bethel
* Chugach
* Copper River
* Dillingham
* Hoonah–Angoon
* Kusilvak
* Nome
* Prince of Wales–Hyder
* Southeast Fairbanks
* Yukon–Koyukuk

Alaska portal

* v
* t
* e

Demographics of the United States by state, territory, and metropolitan area/city

by state|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

by federal district|

* District of Columbia

by territory|

* American Samoa
* Guam
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Puerto Rico
* U.S. Virgin Islands

by metropolitan
area/city|

* Atlanta
* Boston
* Chicago
* Cincinnati
* Cleveland
* Dallas-Fort Worth
* Dallas city
* Denver
* Metro Detroit
* Detroit city
* Erie, PA
* Holyoke, MA
* Houston
* Los Angeles
* Miami
* Minneapolis
* New York City
* The Bronx
* Brooklyn
* Manhattan
* Queens
* Staten Island
* Philadelphia
* Portland, OR
* Saint Paul, MN
* San Francisco
* Seattle
* Tulsa, OK
* Utica, NY

*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template