Salamatof, Alaska — Trends and Changes

How has Salamatof, Alaska changed since 2009?

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The population has grown about 19 percent, from 969 to 1,149 people; the median household income has fallen from $73,958 to $66,500 (not adjusted for inflation); the typical home has gone from $179,200 to $323,300; and the share of people working from home has climbed from 3.3% to 13.0%. 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
Population9691,149+19%
Median household income$73,958$66,500-10%
Median home value$179,200$323,300+80%
Median rent$850$775-9%
Median age35.9 yrs41.5 yrs+5.6 yrs
Average commute17.1 min25.4 min+8.3 min
College educated20.6%21.4%+0.8 points
Working from home3.3%13.0%+9.7 points
Poverty rate8.1%14.2%+6.1 points
Unemployment6.8%34.0%+27.2 points
Homeownership86.3%75.7%-10.6 points
Rent as share of income22.5%37.5%+15.0 points
Foreign-born residents1.1%1.5%+0.4 points
Broadband at home69.0%87.2%+18.2 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 Salamatof earned $73,958 a year in 2009. By 2024 that figure had fallen to $66,500, a change of -10 percent before inflation.

Year Income Alaska average
2009 $73,958 $64,363
2010 $76,827 $67,516
2011 $78,636 $69,983
2012 $80,577 $70,860
2013 $73,125 $71,339
2014 $76,339 $72,263
2015 $61,458 $72,684
2016 $57,250 $74,527
2017 $60,000 $75,897
2018 $57,679 $77,173
2019 $61,250 $77,934
2020 $61,750 $78,567
2021 $79,844 $81,687
2022 $63,750 $87,342
2023 $73,750 $90,539
2024 $66,500 $94,424
Median Home Value

The median home in Salamatof was worth $179,200 in 2009. Since then values have risen, and by 2024 the typical home was worth $323,300.

Year Home Value Alaska average
2009 $179,200 $219,557
2010 $179,200 $229,113
2011 $180,800 $234,839
2012 $197,700 $237,084
2013 $197,800 $241,205
2014 $184,800 $245,022
2015 $186,900 $248,350
2016 $208,900 $253,984
2017 $212,000 $260,239
2018 $218,500 $263,444
2019 $229,800 $268,967
2020 $271,300 $274,691
2021 $268,800 $282,133
2022 $287,500 $316,270
2023 $318,000 $331,130
2024 $323,300 $349,158
Population

Salamatof counted 969 residents in 2009 and 1,149 in 2024. The population peaked around 1,201 in 2023.

Year Residents
2009 969
2010 996
2011 981
2012 994
2013 955
2014 1,049
2015 1,110
2016 1,074
2017 1,055
2018 1,015
2019 992
2020 1,025
2021 1,165
2022 1,189
2023 1,201
2024 1,149
Median Gross Rent

Renters here paid a median of $850 a month in 2009 and $775 by 2024.

Year Rent
2009 $850
2010 $1,112
2011 $1,150
2012 $1,042
2013 $779
2014 $850
2015 $813
2016 $786
2017 $908
2018 $950
2019 $875
2020 $575
2021 $725
2022 $631
2023 $680
2024 $775
College Degrees, Remote Work and Broadband

The share of adults holding a college degree went from 20.6% to 21.4%. Meanwhile remote work went from 3.3% of workers to 13.0%, one of the biggest shifts in how people here live and work. Broadband reached 87.2% of households, from 69.0% in 2017.

Year College educated Working from home Broadband at home
2009 20.6% 3.3%
2010 19.1% 7.3%
2011 17.1% 5%
2012 19.6% 8.6%
2013 15.4% 11.8%
2014 13.9% 12.6%
2015 13.3% 9.9%
2016 15.4% 10.9%
2017 16% 8% 69%
2018 15.4% 4.8% 70.3%
2019 16.2% 4.7% 70.7%
2020 18.8% 6.8% 74.7%
2021 20.1% 9% 83.3%
2022 17.1% 9.6% 86.6%
2023 18.7% 10.6% 85.1%
2024 21.4% 13% 87.2%
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 Salamatof was 35.9 years old in 2009. The town has been getting older since: the median age reached 41.5 by 2024.

Year Median age
2009 35.9
2010 37.9
2011 36
2012 36.2
2013 37.8
2014 37.7
2015 36.3
2016 40.7
2017 41
2018 41.5
2019 43.4
2020 41.3
2021 40.1
2022 40.6
2023 39.9
2024 41.5
Average Commute (Minutes)

Getting to work took an average of 17.1 minutes in 2009; it now takes about 25.4 minutes. Keep in mind this only counts people who commute at all.

Year Minutes
2009 17.1
2010 14.3
2011 13.2
2012 15.4
2013 15.2
2014 20.6
2015 20.7
2016 18.9
2017 17.9
2018 22.9
2019 30.5
2020 31.4
2021 38.8
2022 41.3
2023 40.1
2024 25.4
Poverty and Unemployment

About 14.2% of residents live below the poverty line, up from 8.1% in 2009. Unemployment stands at 34.0%.

Year Poverty rate Unemployment
2009 8.1%
2010 9.9%
2011 8.9% 6.8%
2012 12.1% 8.9%
2013 14.4% 9.5%
2014 12.9% 11.5%
2015 14.9% 10%
2016 19.4% 7.8%
2017 18.3% 5.5%
2018 21.4% 7.8%
2019 15.1% 6.8%
2020 13.4% 32.1%
2021 9.6% 26.8%
2022 13.3% 31.8%
2023 11.6% 29.3%
2024 14.2% 34%
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. Salamatof scores 0.46, up from 0.31 - 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 0.5
2019 0.5
2020 0.5
2021 0.4
2022 0.5
2023 0.4
2024 0.5
Housing: Ownership, Vacancy, Rent Burden

75.7% of occupied homes are owned by the people living in them, down from 86.3% in 2009. The typical renter puts 37.5% of household income toward rent, above the 30% threshold that housing economists consider burdensome. About 22.0% of housing units sit vacant, a level that usually signals seasonal or vacation homes.

Year Homeownership Rent as share of income Vacant units
2009 86.3% 22.5% 13.1%
2010 84.3% 25.4% 13%
2011 80.4% 26.7% 17.9%
2012 73.3% 26.4% 18.9%
2013 69% 21.5% 21.5%
2014 70.7% 20.4% 20.4%
2015 66.7% 22.5% 22.5%
2016 68.9% 28.8% 22.8%
2017 70.7% 31.9% 24.2%
2018 72.8% 34.4% 25.3%
2019 70.7% 36.5% 24.5%
2020 72.6% 40.4% 25.4%
2021 75.9% 37.5% 23.1%
2022 73.2% 38.6% 21.8%
2023 74.5% 35.9% 22.2%
2024 75.7% 37.5% 22%
Who Lives Here

1.5% of residents were born outside the United States, compared with 1.1% in 2009. Residents identifying as something other than non-Hispanic white make up 23.8% of the town, level with 23.1% at the start of the period.

Year Foreign-born Nonwhite or Hispanic
2009 1.1% 23.1%
2010 0.8% 20.5%
2011 0.5% 25.3%
2012 1.1% 24.3%
2013 2% 25.5%
2014 2.4% 31.9%
2015 2.4% 34.9%
2016 2.3% 36.7%
2017 1.8% 32.6%
2018 2.1% 34.3%
2019 1.3% 34.2%
2020 1.1% 30.5%
2021 1.2% 28.2%
2022 1% 30.1%
2023 1.4% 29.6%
2024 1.5% 23.8%