Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 40749 sqmi, of which 35573 sqmi is land and 5176 sqmi (12.7%) is water. By land area, it is slightly larger than the state of Maine.

Its coastline is limited by the Chukchi Sea. The Kotzebue Sound, a significant wildlife area, is a prominent water body within the Northwest Arctic Borough. The largest polar bear sighted in history, a male weighing 2209 lb, was sighted at Kotzebue Sound.

Adjacent boroughs and census areas

• North Slope Borough, Alaska - north
• Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska - east
• Nome Census Area, Alaska - south

National protected areas

• Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (part of the Chukchi Sea unit)
  • Chamisso Wilderness
• Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (part)
• Cape Krusenstern National Monument
• Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (part)
  • Gates of the Arctic Wilderness (part)
• Kobuk Valley National Park
  • Kobuk Valley Wilderness
• Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Noatak National Preserve (part)
  • Noatak Wilderness (part)
• Selawik National Wildlife Refuge (part)
  • Selawik Wilderness

Politics

Northwest Arctic Borough has backed the national winner all but five times since statehood.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the borough had a population of 7,793 and a median age of 28.0 years; 36.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 7.4% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 110.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 109.7 males age 18 and over.

There were 2,014 households in the borough, of which 54.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,717 housing units, of which 25.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 57.0% were owner-occupied and 43.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 7,208 people, 1,780 households and 1,404 families residing in the borough. The population density was 0.18 /mi2. There were 2,540 housing units at an average density of 0 /mi2. The racial makeup of the borough was 12.32% White, 0.21% Black or African American, 82.46% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 3.70% from two or more races. 0.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 40.00% reported speaking Inupiat or "Eskimo" at home.

There were 1,780 households, of which 55.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.90% were married couples living together, 19.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.10% were non-families. 16.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.87 and the average family size was 4.36.

Age distribution was 41.50% under the age of 18, 10.00% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 15.50% from 45 to 64, and 5.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.70 males.

Racial and ethnic composition

The most reported detailed ancestries were:

• Inupiat (Inupiaq) (12.1%)
• Native Village of Kotzebue (10.5%)
• Native Village of Selawik (9.7%)
• Noorvik Native Community (9%)
• Native Village of Noatak (7%)
• Native Village of Buckland (6.8%)
• Native Village of Kivalina (5.4%)
• Nana Inupiat (3.2%)
• Native Village of Kiana (2.5%)
• German (2.2%)

Communities

Cities

• Ambler
• Buckland
• Deering
• Kiana
• Kivalina
• Kobuk
• Kotzebue
• Noorvik
• Selawik
• Shungnak

Census-designated places

• Noatak
• Red Dog Mine

References

References

1. (January 1996). "1996 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory". Alaska Municipal League/[[Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development.
2. (January 21, 2016). "Mayor's Office". Northwest Arctic Borough.
3. "2020 Census Data - Cities and Census Designated Places". State of Alaska, Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
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