Cooper Landing, Alaska — Trends and Changes

How has Cooper Landing, Alaska changed since 2009?

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The population has shrunk about 29 percent, from 318 to 227 people; the median household income has risen from $72,837 to $143,672 (not adjusted for inflation); the typical home has gone from $239,200 to $428,000. Figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year releases, so each point is a rolling five-year estimate.

Relative Growth Since 2009
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.
At a Glance: Then and Now
Measure20092024Change
Population318227-29%
Median household income$72,837$143,672+97%
Median home value$239,200$428,000+79%
Median age46.0 yrs46.4 yrs+0.4 yrs
Average commute13.6 min15.1 min+1.5 min
College educated51.5%51.4%-0.1 points
Working from home9.1%0.0%-9.1 points
Poverty rate2.3%10.2%+7.9 points
Unemployment4.1%13.4%+9.3 points
Homeownership84.3%70.9%-13.4 points
Rent as share of income50.0%50.0%+0.0 points
Foreign-born residents0.8%2.2%+1.4 points
Broadband at home66.4%100.0%+33.6 points
Dollar figures are not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
Median Household Income

A typical household in Cooper Landing earned $72,837 a year in 2009. By 2024 that figure had climbed to $143,672, a change of +97 percent before inflation.

Year Income Alaska average
2009 $72,837 $64,363
2010 $111,343 $67,516
2011 $116,147 $69,983
2012 $119,306 $70,860
2013 $60,357 $71,339
2014 $79,013 $72,263
2015 $64,301 $72,684
2016 $66,167 $74,527
2017 $66,801 $75,897
2018 $82,734 $77,173
2019 $69,242 $77,934
2020 $61,875 $78,567
2021 $109,107 $81,687
2022 $148,021 $87,342
2023 $140,500 $90,539
2024 $143,672 $94,424
Median Home Value

The median home in Cooper Landing was worth $239,200 in 2009. Since then values have risen, and by 2024 the typical home was worth $428,000.

Year Home Value Alaska average
2009 $239,200 $219,557
2010 $322,200 $229,113
2011 $334,200 $234,839
2012 $306,500 $237,084
2013 $298,800 $241,205
2014 $345,600 $245,022
2015 $359,400 $248,350
2016 $375,500 $253,984
2017 $368,700 $260,239
2018 $364,800 $263,444
2019 $349,400 $268,967
2020 $346,800 $274,691
2021 $367,200 $282,133
2022 $437,500 $316,270
2023 $404,500 $331,130
2024 $428,000 $349,158
Population

Cooper Landing counted 318 residents in 2009 and 227 in 2024. The population peaked around 569 in 2018.

Year Residents
2009 318
2010 313
2011 520
2012 302
2013 227
2014 323
2015 457
2016 489
2017 568
2018 569
2019 478
2020 263
2021 217
2022 224
2023 231
2024 227
College Degrees, Remote Work and Broadband

The share of adults holding a college degree went from 51.5% to 51.4%. Meanwhile remote work went from 9.1% of workers to 0.0%. Broadband reached 100.0% of households, from 66.4% in 2017.

Year College educated Working from home Broadband at home
2009 51.5% 9.1%
2010 26.4% 9.6%
2011 17.1% 7.6%
2012 26.4% 7.9%
2013 34.2% 13.6%
2014 44.7% 12.1%
2015 65.4% 11.8%
2016 63.7% 28.8%
2017 66.8% 28.8% 66.4%
2018 69.2% 29.6% 73.4%
2019 70.3% 30.5% 78.2%
2020 67.3% 51.6% 80%
2021 80.9% 23.3% 75.3%
2022 52.8% 21.3% 100%
2023 58.6% 100%
2024 51.4% 100%
Percent of adults with a college degree; percent of workers who work from home; percent of households with a broadband subscription (tracked since 2017).
Median Age

The median resident of Cooper Landing was 46.0 years old in 2009. That has barely moved, sitting at 46.4 in 2024.

Year Median age
2009 46
2010 50
2011 54.5
2012 54.4
2013 60.5
2014 64.2
2015 63.1
2016 37.2
2017 39.8
2018 37.5
2019 34.7
2020 34.4
2021 42.8
2022 28.9
2023 46.3
2024 46.4
Average Commute (Minutes)

Getting to work took an average of 13.6 minutes in 2009; it now takes about 15.1 minutes.

Year Minutes
2009 13.6
2010 15.8
2011 12.1
2012 15.1
2013 15.7
2014 19.5
2015 17.1
2016 21.1
2017 21.6
2018 13.5
2019 10.7
2023 15.5
2024 15.1
Poverty and Unemployment

About 10.2% of residents live below the poverty line, up from 2.3% in 2011. Unemployment stands at 13.4%.

Year Poverty rate Unemployment
2011 2.3% 4.1%
2012 3.3% 4.5%
2013 5.7%
2014 4%
2015 4.2%
2016 10.1% 8.4%
2017 9% 7.1%
2018 6.6% 7.1%
2019 7% 10.3%
2020 10.2% 13.4%
Income Inequality (Gini Index)

The Gini index measures income inequality: 0 would mean every household earns the same, 1 would mean a single household earns everything. Cooper Landing scores 0.29, up from 0.24 - incomes here have grown more unequal.

Year Gini index
2010 0.2
2011 0.2
2012 0.3
2013 0.4
2014 0.4
2015 0.4
2016 0.4
2017 0.4
2018 0.3
2019 0.2
2020 0.3
2021 0.3
2022 0.2
2023 0.3
2024 0.3
Housing: Ownership, Vacancy, Rent Burden

70.9% of occupied homes are owned by the people living in them, down from 84.3% in 2009. The typical renter puts 50.0% of household income toward rent, above the 30% threshold that housing economists consider burdensome. About 69.9% of housing units sit vacant, a level that usually signals seasonal or vacation homes.

Year Homeownership Rent as share of income Vacant units
2009 84.3% 50% 64%
2010 84.4% 50% 61.3%
2011 95.4% 50% 44.3%
2012 90.2% 50% 60.4%
2013 77.3% 64.4%
2014 85.7% 59.4%
2015 80.1% 53.8%
2016 76.4% 53.7%
2017 81.7% 46.1%
2018 86.2% 50.8%
2019 82.7% 56.3%
2020 88.2% 71.3%
2021 91.8% 71.4%
2022 86.7% 81.4%
2023 73.7% 66.1%
2024 70.9% 69.9%
Who Lives Here

2.2% of residents were born outside the United States, compared with 0.8% in 2020. Residents identifying as something other than non-Hispanic white make up 25.1% of the town, up from 8.2% at the start of the period.

Year Foreign-born Nonwhite or Hispanic
2009 8.2%
2010 7.3%
2016 5.1%
2017 3.9%
2018 5.3%
2019 7.5%
2020 0.8% 12.2%
2021 0.9% 0.9%
2022 1.3% 1.3%
2023 1.3% 35.5%
2024 2.2% 25.1%