Population
153 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Alaska
City profile · Alaska · Census ACS 2023
Cold Bay, AK
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Cold Bay - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 153
- Residents
- $112,273
- Median income
- $1,385
- Median rent (state)
Cold Bay - the verdict
Cold Bay ranks in the 84th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
- 84th
- percentile, household income
- 53rd
- percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Cold Bay, AK
153 people live in Cold Bay, Alaska - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $112,273 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 0.0%. The median resident age is 35.9 years. 60.0% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 64.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
NOAA puts Cold Bay's yearly average temperature at 39.3°F with 42.7 inches of precipitation per year and 67.3 inches of snowfall.
Alaska tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Alaska scores 102.4 (Near Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,385 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $271 across Alaska, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 21.3 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very Low).
Median Household Income
$112,273 /yr
Poverty 0.0%
Cost of Living Index (state)
102.4 (US=100)
Near Average - BEA RPP 2024, Alaska average
How does Cold Bay compare to other US cities?
Here's how Cold Bay stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 84% higher than other cities
Median rent 53% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Cold Bay against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Alaska only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Alaska-relative analysis
Poverty Rate places Cold Bay near the bottom of Alaska's cities
Among the 225 Alaska cities PlainCities tracks with reported poverty rate data, Cold Bay ranks #190 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Cold Bay only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#11 of 215
95th percentile in Alaska
Median Gross Rent
#127 of 228
42nd percentile in Alaska
Poverty Rate
#190 of 225
0th percentile in Alaska
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#3 of 228
99th percentile in Alaska
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Alaska only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
84th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 60.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 64.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
153
Median Income
$112,273
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
35.9
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
64.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
60.0%
Climate
Avg Temperature
39.3°F
Annual Precipitation
42.7"
Annual Snowfall
67.3"
Population Change
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
36.6%
Carpool
16.8%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
36.6%
Work from Home
4.0%
Other
6.0%
Based on 101 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for Alaska - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$131
avg/month
Natural Gas
$95
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$45
avg/month
Total Utilities
$271
estimated/month
Estimates reflect Alaska state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a Alaska state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Cold Bay sits in
Cost of Living Index
102.4
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,385/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
21.3 / 100
Very Low
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in Alaska
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Cold Bay's 153 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Cold Bay's $112,273 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Cold Bay compares to nearby Alaska cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Bay (this city) | 153 | $112,273 |
| Kaktovik | 153 | $88,750 |
| Port Lions | 151 | $51,111 |
| Dry Creek | 147 | N/A |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS AK NOAA Normals OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Cold Bay, AK?
What is the population of Cold Bay, AK? +
Cold Bay, AK has a population of 153 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Cold Bay, AK? +
Median annual household income in Cold Bay runs $112,273, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Cold Bay? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Cold Bay; the closest available measure is the Alaska state average, a cost of living index of 102.4 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Alaska vary by metro area.
What is the climate like in Cold Bay? +
The average annual temperature in Cold Bay runs 39.3°F, 42.7 inches of precipitation, and 67.3 inches of snowfall per year. Source: NOAA Climate Normals.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.