Highest-earning boroughs in Alaska
The 2020 median household income in the U.S. was $67,521, a decrease of 2.9% from 2019. COVID-19 in 2020 drastically altered income and poverty levels, along with consumer habits and job opportunities.
Stacker compiled a list of the highest-earning boroughs in Alaska using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Boroughs are ranked by 2020 5-year estimate median household income.
Data shows that annual annual income depends heavily on an individual's educational attainment, race, ethnicity, gender, and even location. One cluster of the United States is particularly well off: The five of the seven counties with the highest median household income in the country can be found in the Washington D.C. metropolitan areas of Maryland and Northern Virginia. These counties can likely attribute their wealth to their proximity to Washington D.C., which attracts highly educated and skilled people in areas of law and public policy. And people in those fields often marry each other, making two high-earning households one very high-earning household.
Keep reading to learn more about the highest-earning boroughs in Alaska.
#30. Kusilvak Census Area
--- 52.0% below state average, 42.5% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 10.9%
--- #2,972 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 17.0%
--- #2,913 highest among all counties nationwide
#29. Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area
--- 46.4% below state average, 35.8% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 14.0%
--- #2,643 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 19.2%
--- #2,682 highest among all counties nationwide
#28. Lake and Peninsula Borough
--- 37.3% below state average, 25.0% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 15.9%
--- #2,347 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.1%
--- #2,069 highest among all counties nationwide
#27. Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area
--- 30.6% below state average, 16.9% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 24.0%
--- #990 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 11.5%
--- #1,442 highest among all counties nationwide
#26. Bethel Census Area
--- 30.1% below state average, 16.3% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 25.9%
--- #786 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 14.5%
--- #1,406 highest among all counties nationwide
#25. Dillingham Census Area
--- 26.2% below state average, 11.6% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 23.0%
--- #1,126 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 9.6%
--- #1,107 highest among all counties nationwide
#24. Wrangell City and Borough
--- 24.9% below state average, 10.1% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 27.4%
--- #668 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 5.2%
--- #1,032 highest among all counties nationwide
#23. Yakutat City and Borough
--- 23.5% below state average, 8.4% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 22.6%
--- #1,179 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 4.1%
--- #936 highest among all counties nationwide
#22. Hoonah-Angoon Census Area
--- 23.0% below state average, 7.8% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 25.7%
--- #802 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 11.4%
--- #902 highest among all counties nationwide
#21. Nome Census Area
--- 19.2% below state average, 3.3% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 27.3%
--- #677 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 8.7%
--- #699 highest among all counties nationwide
#20. Northwest Arctic Borough
--- 18.0% below state average, 1.9% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 32.5%
--- #370 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.9%
--- #651 highest among all counties nationwide
#19. Copper River Census Area
--- 16.8% below state average, 0.4% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 35.7%
--- #264 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 12.9%
--- #594 highest among all counties nationwide
#18. Haines Borough
--- 16.4% below state average, 0.0% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 30.3%
--- #464 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 9.3%
--- #578 highest among all counties nationwide
#17. Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
--- 13.9% below state average, 3.0% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 30.8%
--- #441 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 11.0%
--- #493 highest among all counties nationwide
#16. Petersburg Borough
--- 11.7% below state average, 5.7% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 28.9%
--- #553 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 5.4%
--- #418 highest among all counties nationwide
#15. Kenai Peninsula Borough
--- 11.0% below state average, 6.5% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 32.1%
--- #384 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 8.8%
--- #402 highest among all counties nationwide
#14. Skagway Municipality
--- 7.6% below state average, 10.6% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 28.7%
--- #573 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 1.5%
--- #326 highest among all counties nationwide
#13. Ketchikan Gateway Borough
--- 4.0% below state average, 14.9% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 36.7%
--- #243 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.7%
--- #268 highest among all counties nationwide
#12. Aleutians East Borough
--- 2.5% below state average, 16.7% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 38.5%
--- #202 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.4%
--- #249 highest among all counties nationwide
#11. Matanuska-Susitna Borough
--- 2.1% below state average, 17.1% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 37.4%
--- #225 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 9.0%
--- #243 highest among all counties nationwide
#10. Denali Borough
--- 1.8% below state average, 17.5% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 36.8%
--- #240 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.5%
--- #236 highest among all counties nationwide
#9. Fairbanks North Star Borough
--- 1.7% below state average, 17.6% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 37.0%
--- #234 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 5.3%
--- #233 highest among all counties nationwide
#8. North Slope Borough
--- 1.7% above state average, 21.7% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 38.1%
--- #214 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.7%
--- #205 highest among all counties nationwide
#7. Kodiak Island Borough
--- 1.8% above state average, 21.8% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 39.4%
--- #180 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.6%
--- #204 highest among all counties nationwide
#6. Bristol Bay Borough
--- 2.6% above state average, 22.8% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 39.0%
--- #189 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 2.8%
--- #198 highest among all counties nationwide
#5. Sitka City and Borough
--- 5.0% above state average, 25.7% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 34.3%
--- #303 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.0%
--- #175 highest among all counties nationwide
#4. Anchorage Municipality
--- 9.0% above state average, 30.5% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 41.8%
--- #135 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 5.3%
--- #134 highest among all counties nationwide
#3. Aleutians West Census Area
--- 12.4% above state average, 34.5% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 40.6%
--- #161 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 2.5%
--- #114 highest among all counties nationwide
#2. Juneau City and Borough
--- 13.2% above state average, 35.5% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 41.4%
--- #144 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.3%
--- #106 highest among all counties nationwide
#1. Chugach Census Area
--- 16.7% above state average, 39.7% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 38.2%
--- #211 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 3.6%
--- #88 highest among all counties nationwide