City · Alaska
Kivalina, Alaska
Kivalina, city, in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska. Kivalina had 399 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 10.1% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 444 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 809 (±142). GEOID 0239960.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
399
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 444 · ACS 2020-2024: 809 ±142
Median household income
$72,589
±$15,765 (90% margin)
Alaska: $92,788
Median home value
$175,000
±$57,520 (90% margin)
Alaska: $352,900
Median gross rent
$1,089
±$99 (90% margin)
Alaska: $1,419
Where is Kivalina and what county is it in?
Kivalina is a city in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska. It covers 1.6 square miles of land, 272 residents per square mile in 2020.
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Kivalina, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 399 people lived in Kivalina on July 1, 2025, down 10.1% since 2020, while Alaska grew 0.5%. The 2020 Census counted 444 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 809 (±142).
| Measure | Kivalina | Northwest Arctic Borough | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 809 ±142 | 7,441 | no clear change |
| Households | 161 ±27 | 1,825 | +47 |
| Average household size | 5.02 ±0.73 | 3.81 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 189 ±27 | 2,744 | +53 |
Kivalina's population since 2000
From 377 in 2000 to 399 in 2025: up 5.8%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Kivalina as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Kivalina?
The median resident of Kivalina is 21.9 years old; 46.0% are under 18 and 6.6% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native residents at 96.9%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 2.2%.
| Measure | Kivalina | Northwest Arctic Borough | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 21.9 ±3.1 | 28.8 | −4.5 |
| Under 18 years | 46.0% ±4.0 pts | 37.3% | – |
| 65 years and over | 6.6% ±2.4 pts | 8.5% | – |
| Male | 57.7% ±4.2 pts | 52.2% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 0.0% ±3.0 pts | 2.3% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 0.9% ±1.0 pts | 9.2% | – |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.0 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.0 pts | 1.6% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 96.9% ±2.1 pts | 80.6% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.0 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 2.2% ±1.6 pts | 5.8% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.0 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.0% ±3.0 pts | 2.2% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 24.9% ±6.8 pts | 25.1% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 2.3% ±1.6 pts | 5.6% | – |
| With a disability | 13.0% ±4.1 pts | 11.7% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 23.9% ±7.3 pts | 18.1% | −9.5 pts |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 77.9% ±6.1 pts | 85.3% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 1.1% ±1.2 pts | 10.6% | – |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 0.6% ±1.0 pts | 4.2% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 96.0% ±4.2 pts | 87.5% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.0% ±3.1 pts | 2.0% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Kivalina earn?
Half of Kivalina's 161 households earn less than $72,589 a year (±$15,765), against $84,018 in Northwest Arctic Borough and $92,788 in Alaska. In 2015-2019 it was $66,150 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 22.2% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Kivalina | Northwest Arctic Borough | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $72,589 ±$15,765 | $84,018 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $77,519 ±$11,965 | $104,843 | – |
| Per capita income | $17,197 ±$3,038 | $30,256 | – |
| People below the poverty line | 22.2% ±8.6 pts | 17.9% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 27.6% ±11.9 pts | 25.5% | no clear change |
| Households receiving SNAP | 59.0% ±9.7 pts | 35.8% | – |
| Households with a computer | 91.9% ±5.8 pts | 94.3% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 86.3% ±6.8 pts | 88.6% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Kivalina?
Owners occupy 83.2% of Kivalina's occupied homes and renters 16.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $175,000 by its owner (±$57,520). The median renter pays $1,089 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Kivalina | Northwest Arctic Borough | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $175,000 ±$57,520 | $199,100 | +$69,160 |
| Median gross rent | $1,089 ±$99 | $1,350 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 5.6% ±12.7 pts | 14.9% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $906 ±$253 | $1,525 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 83.2% ±11.6 pts | 64.4% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 16.8% ±11.6 pts | 35.6% | – |
| Housing units | 189 ±27 | 2,744 | +53 |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±16.9 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 6.9% ±15.0 pts | 2.1% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 96.8% ±3.0 pts | 81.7% | – |
| Mobile homes | 1.6% ±2.5 pts | 1.0% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±12.4 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 0.0% ±12.4 pts | 5.1% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 0.5% ±1.4 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 93.8% ±4.9 pts | 64.6% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Kivalina work and get to work?
The average trip to work takes 5.0 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 25.4%.
| Measure | Kivalina | Northwest Arctic Borough | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 50.4% ±4.9 pts | 58.8% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 25.4% ±8.4 pts | 16.7% | no clear change |
| Drove alone to work | 5.1% ±3.9 pts | 15.9% | – |
| Carpooled | 0.0% ±13.1 pts | 11.5% | – |
| Public transportation | 6.2% ±4.1 pts | 0.9% | – |
| Walked | 45.5% ±12.9 pts | 44.5% | – |
| Worked from home | 1.1% ±1.6 pts | 5.3% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 5.0 min ±1.1 | 5.9 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Kivalina?
No census tract lies mostly in Kivalina; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 1Northwest Arctic Borough | 4,457 | $63,750 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Kivalina) · Census block assignment files
How does Kivalina compare with other places in Alaska?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Kivalina is the 14,127th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 75th-most populous of 149 in Alaska.
Kivalina is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 75th | 149 |
Kivalina's figures with every place in Alaska (CSV)
Every place in Alaska, sortable · Compare Kivalina with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Kivalina?
24 of the 57 figures for Kivalina on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Kivalina are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Kivalina.