Census-designated place · Alaska
Knik River, Alaska
Knik River, census-designated place, in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. Knik River had 792 residents in the 2020 Census, a full count; the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 883 (±194). GEOID 0240670.
Residents, 2020 Census
792
Census count or controlled total
ACS 2020-2024 estimate: 883 ±194
Median household income
$109,464
±$46,357 (90% margin)
Alaska: $92,788
Median home value
$304,400
±$33,453 (90% margin)
Alaska: $352,900
Median gross rent
$1,375
±$823 (90% margin)
Alaska: $1,419
Where is Knik River and what county is it in?
Knik River is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for counting, with no city government of its own, in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. It covers 81.7 square miles of land, 10 residents per square mile in 2020.
Knik River is in the Anchorage, AK metropolitan statistical area, which takes in 2 counties (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Knik River, and is it growing?
The 2020 Census counted 792 residents in Knik River, a full count rather than a sample. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a sample, estimates 883 (±194).
The Census Bureau publishes yearly population estimates for incorporated places only; Knik River is a census-designated place, so its figures come from the ACS and the 2020 Census.
| Measure | Knik River | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 883 ±194 | 112,988 | no clear change |
| Households | 315 ±64 | 39,869 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.80 ±0.40 | 2.77 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 359 ±67 | 51,170 | no clear change |
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 Knik River?
The median resident of Knik River is 40.5 years old; 20.2% are under 18 and 16.6% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 85.5%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 4.8%.
| Measure | Knik River | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 40.5 ±6.5 | 36.7 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 20.2% ±5.5 pts | 25.7% | – |
| 65 years and over | 16.6% ±4.9 pts | 13.7% | – |
| Male | 57.2% ±4.5 pts | 52.4% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 4.8% ±4.5 pts | 5.4% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 85.5% ±6.3 pts | 75.7% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±2.8 pts | 1.1% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±2.8 pts | 1.6% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 3.2% ±3.5 pts | 5.4% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±2.8 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 4.8% ±3.6 pts | 9.8% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 1.8% ±1.9 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 5.0% ±4.1 pts | 2.9% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 5.9% ±4.6 pts | 5.7% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 11.4% ±6.8 pts | 13.3% | – |
| With a disability | 20.9% ±4.9 pts | 14.0% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 16.6% ±6.3 pts | 11.9% | no clear change |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 83.1% ±6.5 pts | 94.1% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 28.7% ±8.3 pts | 24.4% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 4.2% ±3.1 pts | 8.7% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 94.4% ±3.8 pts | 88.1% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 2.5% ±1.8 pts | 2.8% | – |
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 Knik River earn?
Half of Knik River's 315 households earn less than $109,464 a year (±$46,357), against $94,031 in Matanuska-Susitna Borough and $92,788 in Alaska. In 2015-2019 it was $72,303 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 6.3% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Knik River | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $109,464 ±$46,357 | $94,031 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $125,875 ±$23,398 | $115,954 | – |
| Per capita income | $47,441 ±$5,984 | $42,386 | +$12,456 |
| People below the poverty line | 6.3% ±3.9 pts | 10.0% | −8.2 pts |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 6.2% ±6.9 pts | 11.0% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 13.3% ±7.5 pts | 9.4% | – |
| Households with a computer | 95.2% ±4.6 pts | 97.2% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 97.1% ±3.8 pts | 93.2% | – |
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 Knik River?
Owners occupy 89.2% of Knik River's occupied homes and renters 10.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $304,400 by its owner (±$33,453). The median renter pays $1,375 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Knik River | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $304,400 ±$33,453 | $346,600 | +$63,061 |
| Median gross rent | $1,375 ±$823 | $1,299 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 0.0% ±63.1 pts | 41.1% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $2,172 ±$184 | $2,112 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 89.2% ±6.6 pts | 77.2% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 10.8% ±6.6 pts | 22.8% | – |
| Housing units | 359 ±67 | 51,170 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±8.5 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% ±44.6 pts | 3.9% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 84.4% ±8.7 pts | 83.0% | – |
| Mobile homes | 11.4% ±8.4 pts | 2.6% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±6.7 pts | 1.9% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 11.1% ±5.8 pts | 17.3% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 3.1% ±3.3 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 1.6% ±2.2 pts | 3.8% | – |
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 Knik River work and get to work?
72.9% of Knik River's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 36.3 minutes.
| Measure | Knik River | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 67.8% ±6.4 pts | 60.3% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 0.8% ±1.4 pts | 5.8% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 72.9% ±9.7 pts | 71.0% | – |
| Carpooled | 12.1% ±8.1 pts | 9.7% | – |
| Public transportation | 2.3% ±2.6 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Walked | 0.8% ±1.4 pts | 1.7% | – |
| Worked from home | 7.6% ±5.4 pts | 11.7% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 36.3 min ±6.2 | 34.8 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 Knik River?
No census tract lies mostly in Knik River; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 13Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 6,427 | $102,802 |
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 Knik River) · Census block assignment files
How does Knik River compare with other places in Alaska?
Knik River 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.
Knik River's figures with every place in Alaska (CSV)
Every place in Alaska, sortable · Compare Knik River 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 Knik River?
24 of the 57 figures for Knik River 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 Knik River 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' school search.