Cantwell, Alaska — Trends and Changes
How has Cantwell, Alaska changed since 2009?
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The population has grown about 4 percent, from 123 to 128 people; the median household income has fallen from $48,750 to $43,438 (not adjusted for inflation); the typical home has gone from $168,400 to $256,300. Figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year releases, so each point is a rolling five-year estimate.
Each line starts at 100 in 2009; a line reaching 200 means that measure doubled. Exact values for each measure are in the charts and tables below. Source: ACS 5-year estimates.
| Measure | 2009 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 123 | 128 | +4% |
| Median household income | $48,750 | $43,438 | -11% |
| Median home value | $168,400 | $256,300 | +52% |
| Median rent | $900 | $1,125 | +25% |
| Median age | 48.1 yrs | 65.0 yrs | +16.9 yrs |
| Average commute | 18.1 min | 33.2 min | +15.1 min |
| College educated | 27.0% | 24.8% | -2.2 points |
| Working from home | 34.5% | 19.0% | -15.5 points |
| Poverty rate | 3.3% | 10.9% | +7.6 points |
| Unemployment | 15.5% | 2.3% | -13.2 points |
| Homeownership | 96.4% | 83.9% | -12.5 points |
| Rent as share of income | 25.0% | 51.0% | +26.0 points |
| Foreign-born residents | 4.9% | 2.2% | -2.7 points |
| Broadband at home | 85.4% | 72.4% | -13.0 points |
Dollar figures are not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
A typical household in Cantwell earned $48,750 a year in 2009. By 2024 that figure had fallen to $43,438, a change of -11 percent before inflation.
| Year | Income | Alaska average |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $48,750 | $64,363 |
| 2010 | $61,875 | $67,516 |
| 2011 | $53,542 | $69,983 |
| 2012 | $52,500 | $70,860 |
| 2013 | $53,438 | $71,339 |
| 2014 | $60,417 | $72,263 |
| 2015 | $56,000 | $72,684 |
| 2016 | $55,313 | $74,527 |
| 2017 | $58,438 | $75,897 |
| 2018 | $59,750 | $77,173 |
| 2019 | $58,750 | $77,934 |
| 2020 | $30,500 | $78,567 |
| 2021 | $34,000 | $81,687 |
| 2022 | $36,500 | $87,342 |
| 2023 | $41,000 | $90,539 |
| 2024 | $43,438 | $94,424 |
The median home in Cantwell was worth $168,400 in 2009. Values slid as low as $146,500 in 2012 before recovering, and by 2024 the typical home was worth $256,300.
| Year | Home Value | Alaska average |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $168,400 | $219,557 |
| 2010 | $164,800 | $229,113 |
| 2011 | $162,500 | $234,839 |
| 2012 | $146,500 | $237,084 |
| 2013 | $159,600 | $241,205 |
| 2014 | $162,500 | $245,022 |
| 2015 | $157,300 | $248,350 |
| 2016 | $156,300 | $253,984 |
| 2017 | $160,900 | $260,239 |
| 2018 | $153,100 | $263,444 |
| 2019 | $158,000 | $268,967 |
| 2020 | $178,800 | $274,691 |
| 2021 | $183,300 | $282,133 |
| 2022 | $213,600 | $316,270 |
| 2023 | $221,400 | $331,130 |
| 2024 | $256,300 | $349,158 |
Cantwell counted 123 residents in 2009 and 128 in 2024. The population peaked around 210 in 2020.
| Year | Residents |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 123 |
| 2010 | 119 |
| 2011 | 168 |
| 2012 | 180 |
| 2013 | 195 |
| 2014 | 197 |
| 2015 | 209 |
| 2016 | 204 |
| 2017 | 201 |
| 2018 | 183 |
| 2019 | 178 |
| 2020 | 210 |
| 2021 | 136 |
| 2022 | 117 |
| 2023 | 121 |
| 2024 | 128 |
Renters here paid a median of $900 a month in 2009 and $1,125 by 2024. Rents have grown noticeably faster than local incomes over that stretch.
| Year | Rent |
|---|---|
| 2009 | $900 |
| 2010 | $925 |
| 2011 | $725 |
| 2012 | $719 |
| 2013 | $767 |
| 2014 | $775 |
| 2015 | $1,063 |
| 2016 | $850 |
| 2017 | $883 |
| 2019 | $700 |
| 2023 | $900 |
| 2024 | $1,125 |
The share of adults holding a college degree went from 27.0% to 24.8%. Meanwhile remote work went from 34.5% of workers to 19.0%. Broadband reached 72.4% of households, from 85.4% in 2017.
| Year | College educated | Working from home | Broadband at home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 27% | 34.5% | |
| 2010 | 29.1% | 40.9% | |
| 2011 | 28.9% | 32% | |
| 2012 | 32.3% | 26.6% | |
| 2013 | 30% | 13.2% | |
| 2014 | 31.5% | 12.9% | |
| 2015 | 25.8% | 11% | |
| 2016 | 29% | 8.8% | |
| 2017 | 26.4% | 12.9% | 85.4% |
| 2018 | 26.3% | 19.8% | 81.7% |
| 2019 | 26.2% | 20% | 83% |
| 2020 | 19.1% | 18% | 79.8% |
| 2021 | 17.4% | 28.2% | 85.9% |
| 2022 | 24.5% | 9.4% | 76.7% |
| 2023 | 26.9% | 14.6% | 76.3% |
| 2024 | 24.8% | 19% | 72.4% |
Percent of adults with a college degree; percent of workers who work from home; percent of households with a broadband subscription (tracked since 2017).
The median resident of Cantwell was 48.1 years old in 2009. The town has been getting older since: the median age reached 65.0 by 2024.
| Year | Median age |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 48.1 |
| 2010 | 46.3 |
| 2011 | 43.3 |
| 2012 | 46 |
| 2013 | 46.5 |
| 2014 | 43.9 |
| 2015 | 46.3 |
| 2016 | 45.8 |
| 2017 | 48.4 |
| 2018 | 47.6 |
| 2019 | 46 |
| 2020 | 50.8 |
| 2021 | 53.5 |
| 2022 | 65.4 |
| 2023 | 64.5 |
| 2024 | 65 |
Getting to work took an average of 18.1 minutes in 2009; it now takes about 33.2 minutes. Keep in mind this only counts people who commute at all.
| Year | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 18.1 |
| 2010 | 17.5 |
| 2011 | 20.8 |
| 2012 | 15.7 |
| 2013 | 20.7 |
| 2014 | 19.3 |
| 2015 | 19.3 |
| 2016 | 17.9 |
| 2017 | 18 |
| 2018 | 16 |
| 2019 | 15.5 |
| 2020 | 19.6 |
| 2021 | 19.1 |
| 2022 | 17.4 |
| 2023 | 21.6 |
| 2024 | 33.2 |
About 10.9% of residents live below the poverty line, up from 3.3% in 2009. Unemployment stands at 2.3%.
| Year | Poverty rate | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 3.3% | |
| 2010 | 2.5% | |
| 2011 | 6% | 15.5% |
| 2012 | 6.7% | 11.5% |
| 2013 | 10.3% | 8.8% |
| 2014 | 10.7% | 5.2% |
| 2015 | 9.1% | |
| 2016 | 8.3% | 2.8% |
| 2017 | 7.5% | 2% |
| 2018 | 6% | 7.1% |
| 2019 | 10.1% | 9.8% |
| 2020 | 10% | 14.7% |
| 2021 | 12.5% | 17% |
| 2022 | 6% | 17.9% |
| 2023 | 10.7% | 8.3% |
| 2024 | 10.9% | 2.3% |
The Gini index measures income inequality: 0 would mean every household earns the same, 1 would mean a single household earns everything. Cantwell scores 0.38, up from 0.29 - incomes here have grown more unequal.
| Year | Gini index |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.3 |
| 2011 | 0.3 |
| 2012 | 0.3 |
| 2013 | 0.3 |
| 2014 | 0.3 |
| 2015 | 0.4 |
| 2016 | 0.4 |
| 2017 | 0.4 |
| 2018 | 0.4 |
| 2019 | 0.4 |
| 2020 | 0.4 |
| 2021 | 0.4 |
| 2022 | 0.4 |
| 2023 | 0.4 |
| 2024 | 0.4 |
83.9% of occupied homes are owned by the people living in them, down from 96.4% in 2009. The typical renter puts 51.0% of household income toward rent, above the 30% threshold that housing economists consider burdensome. About 55.2% of housing units sit vacant, a level that usually signals seasonal or vacation homes.
| Year | Homeownership | Rent as share of income | Vacant units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 96.4% | 25% | 65.2% |
| 2010 | 88.2% | 17.5% | 68.1% |
| 2011 | 89.5% | 10% | 58.7% |
| 2012 | 89.8% | 10% | 58.1% |
| 2013 | 83.9% | 10% | 56.3% |
| 2014 | 78.7% | 12.5% | 58.8% |
| 2015 | 85.9% | 31.3% | 56% |
| 2016 | 78.9% | 50% | 53.9% |
| 2017 | 83.1% | 31.3% | 53.9% |
| 2018 | 83.9% | 32.5% | 56.5% |
| 2019 | 85.2% | 9% | 58.9% |
| 2020 | 86.8% | 52.1% | |
| 2021 | 89.7% | 60% | |
| 2022 | 84.4% | 57.3% | |
| 2023 | 87.5% | 32.5% | 57.7% |
| 2024 | 83.9% | 51% | 55.2% |
2.2% of residents were born outside the United States, compared with 4.9% in 2009. Residents identifying as something other than non-Hispanic white make up 32.8% of the town, up from 22.0% at the start of the period.
| Year | Foreign-born | Nonwhite or Hispanic |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 4.9% | 22% |
| 2010 | 5.9% | 33.6% |
| 2011 | 6% | 24.4% |
| 2012 | 5.6% | 23.9% |
| 2013 | 21% | |
| 2014 | 18.3% | |
| 2015 | 1.9% | 19.6% |
| 2016 | 1.5% | 23.5% |
| 2017 | 1% | 24.9% |
| 2018 | 2.2% | 22.4% |
| 2019 | 2.2% | 21.9% |
| 2020 | 26.2% | |
| 2021 | 22.8% | |
| 2022 | 21.4% | |
| 2023 | 28.1% | |
| 2024 | 32.8% |