Northwest Arctic County Demographics

A map of Northwest Arctic County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
Native American/Other	5,997	6,464	80.6%	82.9%
White	683	684	9.2%	8.8%
Multiracial	431	419	5.8%	5.4%
Hispanic	173	102	2.3%	1.3%
Asian	116	53	1.6%	0.7%
Black	41	71	0.6%	0.9%

Northwest Arctic County, Alaska has an estimated population of 7,441, a decrease from the 7,793 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 80.6% Native American/Other, 9.2% White, 5.8% Multiracial, 2.3% Hispanic, 1.6% Asian, and 0.6% Black. This demographic dot map shows the population of Northwest Arctic County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Northwest Arctic has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Alaska overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Northwest Arctic County, that probability was 30.1% in 2020 and 33.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Northwest Arctic County is ranked the 13th most populous county in Alaska, out of 30 counties. Northwest Arctic County was ranked the 13th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Northwest Arctic County's White Population

683 residents of Northwest Arctic County, or 9.2% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Northwest Arctic County is significantly lower than in Alaska overall, where 57.7% of the population is White. Northwest Arctic County ranks 28th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 30 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Northwest Arctic County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Northwest Arctic County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 9.2%.

Northwest Arctic County is more White than neighboring Kusilvak Census Area County (2.9% White), and Bethel Census Area County (8.3% White). Northwest Arctic County is less White than neighboring Nome Census Area County (13.4% White), North Slope County (31% White), and Dillingham Census Area County (14.3% White).

Northwest Arctic County's Black Population

41 residents of Northwest Arctic County, or 0.6% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Northwest Arctic County is slightly lower than in Alaska overall, where 2.9% of the population is Black. Northwest Arctic County ranks 10th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 30 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Northwest Arctic County's Black population has declined by an estimated 42.3%. Black residents' share of Northwest Arctic County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.6%.

Northwest Arctic County is less Black than neighboring Kusilvak Census Area County (1% Black), Bethel Census Area County (1.2% Black), North Slope County (1.2% Black), and Dillingham Census Area County (0.7% Black).

Northwest Arctic County's Asian Population

116 residents of Northwest Arctic County, or 1.6% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Northwest Arctic County is slightly lower than in Alaska overall, where 6.4% of the population is Asian. Northwest Arctic County ranks 22nd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 30 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Northwest Arctic County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 118.9%. Asian residents' share of Northwest Arctic County's population has increased from 0.7% to 1.6%.

Northwest Arctic County is more Asian than neighboring Kusilvak Census Area County (0.3% Asian). Northwest Arctic County is less Asian than neighboring Nome Census Area County (1.7% Asian), North Slope County (5.4% Asian), and Dillingham Census Area County (1.8% Asian).

Northwest Arctic County's Hispanic Population

173 residents of Northwest Arctic County, or 2.3% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Northwest Arctic County is slightly lower than in Alaska overall, where 7.3% of the population is Hispanic. Northwest Arctic County ranks 28th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 30 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Northwest Arctic County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 69.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Northwest Arctic County's population has increased from 1.3% to 2.3%.

Northwest Arctic County is more Hispanic than neighboring Nome Census Area County (2.2% Hispanic), Kusilvak Census Area County (1.3% Hispanic), and Bethel Census Area County (1.5% Hispanic). Northwest Arctic County is less Hispanic than neighboring North Slope County (5.4% Hispanic), and Dillingham Census Area County (3.7% Hispanic).

Northwest Arctic County's Native American/Other Population

5,997 residents of Northwest Arctic County, or 80.6% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Northwest Arctic County is significantly higher than in Alaska overall, where 15.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Northwest Arctic County ranks 3rd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 30 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Northwest Arctic County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 7.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Northwest Arctic County's population has decreased from 82.9% to 80.6%.

Northwest Arctic County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Nome Census Area County (73.5% Native American/Other), North Slope County (50.8% Native American/Other), and Dillingham Census Area County (70.3% Native American/Other). Northwest Arctic County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Kusilvak Census Area County (86.1% Native American/Other), and Bethel Census Area County (83.2% Native American/Other).

Northwest Arctic County's Multiracial Population

431 residents of Northwest Arctic County, or 5.8% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Northwest Arctic County is slightly lower than in Alaska overall, where 10.3% of the population is Multiracial. Northwest Arctic County ranks 26th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 30 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Northwest Arctic County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 2.9%. Multiracial residents' share of Northwest Arctic County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 5.8%.

Northwest Arctic County is more Multiracial than neighboring Bethel Census Area County (4.3% Multiracial). Northwest Arctic County is less Multiracial than neighboring Nome Census Area County (8.5% Multiracial), Kusilvak Census Area County (8.5% Multiracial), North Slope County (6.2% Multiracial), and Dillingham Census Area County (9.1% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.