Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska
A borough in Alaska, ranked 14 of 30 by population.
BoroughFIPS 02188
- Population
- 7,095
- -702 (-9.0%) since 2020
- Land area
- 35,672
- square miles. A further 12.2% of the total area is water
- Population density
- 0.20
- people per square mile, computed rather than published
- County seat
- Kotzebue
- Seat of county government.
- Established
- 1986
- 39 years ago
- Largest city
- Kotzebue city
- Population 2,876.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; Wikidata (CC0), Wikidata. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
Satellite view
Aerial imagery of Northwest Arctic Borough with its boundary drawn on top. A map shows you the shape; this shows you what is inside it, and which side of the line a place falls on.
Where Northwest Arctic Borough ranks
Position among the 30 boroughs and census areas of Alaska, and among all 3,144 US counties and county-equivalents. Computed from the figures on this page.
| Measure | Value | In Alaska | Nationally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 7,095 | 14th of 30 | 2,648th of 3,144 |
| Land area | 35,672 sq mi | 4th of 30 | 4th of 3,144 |
| Population density | 0.20 per sq mi | 24th of 30 | 3,137th of 3,144 |
| Median household income | $84,018 | 14th of 30 | 451st of 3,143 |
Full data for Northwest Arctic Borough
| Measure | Value | Source and vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 7,095 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Population in 2020 | 7,797 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| 2020 estimates base? | 7,794 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Land area | 35,672 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Water area | 4,948 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Total area | 40,620 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Population density? | 0.20 per sq mi | Computed: Vintage 2025 estimates divided by 2025 Gazetteer land area |
| Median household income | $84,018 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median home value | $199,100 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median age | 28.8 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Households | 1,825 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Housing units | 2,744 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026. Population density is computed here, not published: it divides the Vintage 2025 population estimate by the 2025 Gazetteer land area, which are two different Census products. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
How the population changed
The Census Bureau publishes the components behind an estimate, not just the total. For the year to July 2025:
- Births minus deaths
- +63
- 130 births, 67 deaths
- Net migration
- -118
- More people moved out than moved in.
Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
The 3 areas bordering Northwest Arctic Borough
Ordered by the length of the border actually shared, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which no other county reference presents.
| Bordering area | State | Shared border | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | Alaska | 409 mi | 5,028 |
| North Slope Borough | Alaska | 327 mi | 10,582 |
| Nome Census Area | Alaska | 227 mi | 9,830 |
Source: US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
All 30 boroughs and census areas of Alaska
Open the interactive Alaska county map, or jump straight to any of them.
- Aleutians East Borough
- Aleutians West Census Area
- Anchorage Municipality
- Bethel Census Area
- Bristol Bay Borough
- Chugach Census Area
- Copper River Census Area
- Denali Borough
- Dillingham Census Area
- Fairbanks North Star Borough
- Haines Borough
- Hoonah-Angoon Census Area
- Juneau City and Borough
- Kenai Peninsula Borough
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough
- Kodiak Island Borough
- Kusilvak Census Area
- Lake and Peninsula Borough
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough
- Nome Census Area
- North Slope Borough
- Northwest Arctic Borough
- Petersburg Borough
- Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area
- Sitka City and Borough
- Skagway Municipality
- Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
- Wrangell City and Borough
- Yakutat City and Borough
- Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area
Data on this page last rebuilt 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.