Gateway, Alaska — Trends and Changes

How has Gateway, Alaska changed since 2009?

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The population has grown about 72 percent, from 3,972 to 6,845 people; the median household income has risen from $86,071 to $137,772 (not adjusted for inflation); the typical home has gone from $236,600 to $446,200; and the share of people working from home has climbed from 6.0% to 15.2%. 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
Population3,9726,845+72%
Median household income$86,071$137,772+60%
Median home value$236,600$446,200+89%
Median rent$1,417$1,741+23%
Median age29.6 yrs33.8 yrs+4.2 yrs
Average commute30.0 min34.3 min+4.3 min
College educated36.5%50.0%+13.5 points
Working from home6.0%15.2%+9.2 points
Poverty rate6.1%4.5%-1.6 points
Unemployment6.1%3.8%-2.3 points
Homeownership86.3%81.5%-4.8 points
Rent as share of income35.0%23.9%-11.1 points
Foreign-born residents4.3%3.0%-1.3 points
Broadband at home91.7%96.3%+4.6 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 Gateway earned $86,071 a year in 2009. By 2024 that figure had climbed to $137,772, a change of +60 percent before inflation.

Year Income Alaska average
2009 $86,071 $64,363
2010 $88,816 $67,516
2011 $93,563 $69,983
2012 $97,269 $70,860
2013 $92,028 $71,339
2014 $90,385 $72,263
2015 $92,739 $72,684
2016 $91,538 $74,527
2017 $99,122 $75,897
2018 $100,641 $77,173
2019 $105,543 $77,934
2020 $105,786 $78,567
2021 $110,610 $81,687
2022 $115,735 $87,342
2023 $137,150 $90,539
2024 $137,772 $94,424
Median Home Value

The median home in Gateway was worth $236,600 in 2009. Since then values have risen, and by 2024 the typical home was worth $446,200.

Year Home Value Alaska average
2009 $236,600 $219,557
2010 $256,800 $229,113
2011 $261,300 $234,839
2012 $269,600 $237,084
2013 $266,700 $241,205
2014 $267,600 $245,022
2015 $271,300 $248,350
2016 $279,900 $253,984
2017 $284,400 $260,239
2018 $296,500 $263,444
2019 $321,100 $268,967
2020 $333,200 $274,691
2021 $335,000 $282,133
2022 $397,400 $316,270
2023 $436,200 $331,130
2024 $446,200 $349,158
Population

Gateway counted 3,972 residents in 2009 and 6,845 in 2024. The population peaked around 7,076 in 2019.

Year Residents
2009 3,972
2010 5,518
2011 5,437
2012 5,269
2013 5,173
2014 5,367
2015 5,610
2016 6,061
2017 6,694
2018 7,037
2019 7,076
2020 5,965
2021 6,305
2022 6,241
2023 6,716
2024 6,845
Median Gross Rent

Renters here paid a median of $1,417 a month in 2009 and $1,741 by 2024. Local incomes have grown faster than rents over that stretch.

Year Rent
2009 $1,417
2010 $1,031
2011 $1,235
2012 $1,214
2013 $1,212
2014 $1,086
2015 $1,052
2016 $1,068
2017 $1,086
2018 $1,107
2019 $1,117
2020 $1,192
2021 $1,242
2022 $1,384
2023 $1,612
2024 $1,741
College Degrees, Remote Work and Broadband

The share of adults holding a college degree went from 36.5% to 50.0%. Meanwhile remote work went from 6.0% of workers to 15.2%, one of the biggest shifts in how people here live and work. Broadband reached 96.3% of households, from 91.7% in 2017.

Year College educated Working from home Broadband at home
2009 36.5% 6%
2010 43% 4.3%
2011 42.8% 5.6%
2012 42.9% 8.2%
2013 44.9% 7%
2014 42.5% 7.9%
2015 41.3% 8.8%
2016 43.2% 6.7%
2017 40.1% 5.5% 91.7%
2018 39.5% 6.1% 92.7%
2019 40.8% 5.5% 92.4%
2020 39% 7.9% 93.7%
2021 46% 8.8% 95.1%
2022 50.3% 10.4% 95.4%
2023 52.4% 14.6% 97.1%
2024 50% 15.2% 96.3%
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 Gateway was 29.6 years old in 2009. The town has been getting older since: the median age reached 33.8 by 2024.

Year Median age
2009 29.6
2010 34.3
2011 36.1
2012 38
2013 37.5
2014 35.8
2015 35.6
2016 34.9
2017 34.5
2018 33.4
2019 33
2020 31.9
2021 33.3
2022 33.2
2023 32.6
2024 33.8
Average Commute (Minutes)

Getting to work took an average of 30.0 minutes in 2009; it now takes about 34.3 minutes. Keep in mind this only counts people who commute at all.

Year Minutes
2009 30
2010 33
2011 31.2
2012 31.3
2013 33.4
2014 32.2
2015 31.2
2016 32.6
2017 33.3
2018 32.7
2019 35.3
2020 36.7
2021 36.3
2022 33.6
2023 34.7
2024 34.3
Poverty and Unemployment

About 4.5% of residents live below the poverty line, down from 6.1% in 2009. Unemployment stands at 3.8%.

Year Poverty rate Unemployment
2009 6.1%
2010 3.6%
2011 3.3% 6.1%
2012 6.2% 7%
2013 6.7% 6.1%
2014 7% 5.7%
2015 7.8% 4.9%
2016 7.8% 6.4%
2017 5.6% 4.4%
2018 4.2% 4.6%
2019 5.6% 4.8%
2020 2.7% 7.4%
2021 2.6% 6%
2022 2.8% 5.3%
2023 4.3% 4.5%
2024 4.5% 3.8%
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. Gateway scores 0.37, up from 0.34 - incomes here have grown more unequal.

Year Gini index
2010 0.3
2011 0.3
2012 0.4
2013 0.4
2014 0.4
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
Housing: Ownership, Vacancy, Rent Burden

81.5% of occupied homes are owned by the people living in them, down from 86.3% in 2009. The typical renter puts 23.9% of household income toward rent. About 6.3% of housing units sit vacant.

Year Homeownership Rent as share of income Vacant units
2009 86.3% 35% 1%
2010 88.1% 40.9% 2%
2011 86.9% 28.3% 2.2%
2012 88.9% 27.1% 2.9%
2013 86.1% 27% 5.4%
2014 83% 27.2% 6.2%
2015 80.1% 26.7% 7.2%
2016 78.9% 27.8% 7.1%
2017 80.2% 28.5% 6.5%
2018 79.1% 27.7% 4.9%
2019 77.5% 28% 4.7%
2020 79.8% 28.2% 3.6%
2021 78.2% 27% 3.4%
2022 77.9% 27.6% 3.2%
2023 80.3% 23% 4%
2024 81.5% 23.9% 6.3%
Who Lives Here

3.0% of residents were born outside the United States, compared with 4.3% in 2009. Residents identifying as something other than non-Hispanic white make up 30.3% of the town, up from 14.6% at the start of the period.

Year Foreign-born Nonwhite or Hispanic
2009 4.3% 14.6%
2010 4.3% 12.9%
2011 4.2% 13.4%
2012 3.5% 12.5%
2013 3.4% 12.1%
2014 2.8% 16%
2015 2.9% 18.7%
2016 4.1% 18.7%
2017 4% 20.5%
2018 4% 18.7%
2019 3.7% 20.3%
2020 4.1% 28.1%
2021 2.8% 30.2%
2022 3.7% 30.8%
2023 3.1% 30.1%
2024 3% 30.3%