Yakutat, Alaska — Trends and Changes

How has Yakutat, Alaska changed since 2009?

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The population has grown about 27 percent, from 415 to 527 people; the median household income has risen from $68,750 to $85,000 (not adjusted for inflation); the typical home has gone from $150,700 to $219,400. 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
Population415527+27%
Median household income$68,750$85,000+24%
Median home value$150,700$219,400+46%
Median rent$868$1,330+53%
Median age37.3 yrs43.7 yrs+6.4 yrs
Average commute6.7 min5.5 min-1.2 min
College educated26.6%27.1%+0.5 points
Working from home6.1%7.6%+1.5 points
Poverty rate3.4%11.9%+8.5 points
Unemployment5.3%0.9%-4.4 points
Homeownership65.0%56.3%-8.7 points
Rent as share of income27.5%14.3%-13.2 points
Foreign-born residents1.0%18.4%+17.4 points
Broadband at home69.8%87.4%+17.6 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 Yakutat earned $68,750 a year in 2009. By 2024 that figure had climbed to $85,000, a change of +24 percent before inflation.

Year Income Alaska average
2009 $68,750 $64,363
2010 $72,813 $67,516
2011 $74,844 $69,983
2012 $71,705 $70,860
2013 $72,500 $71,339
2014 $69,306 $72,263
2015 $72,500 $72,684
2016 $66,875 $74,527
2017 $64,583 $75,897
2018 $65,833 $77,173
2019 $71,607 $77,934
2020 $59,517 $78,567
2021 $72,083 $81,687
2022 $76,875 $87,342
2023 $80,625 $90,539
2024 $85,000 $94,424
Median Home Value

The median home in Yakutat was worth $150,700 in 2009. Since then values have risen, and by 2024 the typical home was worth $219,400.

Year Home Value Alaska average
2009 $150,700 $219,557
2010 $149,200 $229,113
2011 $155,500 $234,839
2012 $148,400 $237,084
2013 $147,500 $241,205
2014 $156,800 $245,022
2015 $166,000 $248,350
2016 $165,800 $253,984
2017 $185,000 $260,239
2018 $169,300 $263,444
2019 $202,300 $268,967
2020 $171,200 $274,691
2021 $168,100 $282,133
2022 $152,100 $316,270
2023 $185,000 $331,130
2024 $219,400 $349,158
Population

Yakutat counted 415 residents in 2009 and 527 in 2024. The population peaked around 665 in 2018.

Year Residents
2009 415
2010 630
2011 633
2012 570
2013 569
2014 587
2015 597
2016 618
2017 653
2018 665
2019 649
2020 597
2021 562
2022 564
2023 506
2024 527
Median Gross Rent

Renters here paid a median of $868 a month in 2009 and $1,330 by 2024. Rents have grown noticeably faster than local incomes over that stretch.

Year Rent
2009 $868
2010 $986
2011 $1,000
2012 $1,000
2013 $972
2014 $1,000
2015 $945
2016 $975
2017 $1,030
2018 $1,027
2019 $900
2020 $1,071
2021 $1,217
2022 $1,304
2023 $1,276
2024 $1,330
College Degrees, Remote Work and Broadband

The share of adults holding a college degree went from 26.6% to 27.1%. Meanwhile remote work went from 6.1% of workers to 7.6%. Broadband reached 87.4% of households, from 69.8% in 2017.

Year College educated Working from home Broadband at home
2009 26.6% 6.1%
2010 27.7% 6.8%
2011 34.2% 7.5%
2012 32% 8.9%
2013 27.8% 7.7%
2014 26.5% 7.2%
2015 23.2% 5.9%
2016 26.7% 5%
2017 24.2% 4.6% 69.8%
2018 25.5% 5.4% 69.8%
2019 28.5% 4.4% 71.7%
2020 22.7% 3.4% 82.4%
2021 15.7% 4.9% 83.8%
2022 21.2% 4.4% 82.7%
2023 21.4% 10.3% 82.1%
2024 27.1% 7.6% 87.4%
Percent of adults with a college degree; percent of workers who work from home; percent of households with a broadband subscription (tracked since 2017).
Median Age

The median resident of Yakutat was 37.3 years old in 2009. The town has been getting older since: the median age reached 43.7 by 2024.

Year Median age
2009 37.3
2010 38.2
2011 39.7
2012 38
2013 42.9
2014 40.9
2015 39.1
2016 38.3
2017 37.9
2018 34.9
2019 36.9
2020 36.3
2021 37.2
2022 41.3
2023 53.2
2024 43.7
Average Commute (Minutes)

Getting to work took an average of 6.7 minutes in 2009; it now takes about 5.5 minutes.

Year Minutes
2009 6.7
2010 6.3
2011 5.7
2012 5.4
2013 5.8
2014 5.6
2015 6.8
2016 7.3
2017 6.8
2018 6.6
2019 6.6
2020 5.2
2021 4.7
2022 5
2023 5.8
2024 5.5
Poverty and Unemployment

About 11.9% of residents live below the poverty line, up from 3.4% in 2009. Unemployment stands at 0.9%.

Year Poverty rate Unemployment
2009 3.4%
2010 4.3%
2011 3.3% 5.3%
2012 3.7% 5.3%
2013 6.3% 6.9%
2014 5.1% 9.3%
2015 5.9% 8.9%
2016 8.3% 7.6%
2017 6.4% 7%
2018 6.9% 6.5%
2019 7.4% 5.8%
2020 6.7% 8.3%
2021 7.3% 1.6%
2022 10% 1.8%
2023 7.8% 1.4%
2024 11.9% 0.9%
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. Yakutat scores 0.36, essentially unchanged over the period.

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

56.3% of occupied homes are owned by the people living in them, down from 65.0% in 2009. The typical renter puts 14.3% of household income toward rent. About 38.0% of housing units sit vacant, a level that usually signals seasonal or vacation homes.

Year Homeownership Rent as share of income Vacant units
2009 65% 27.5% 43.2%
2010 59.8% 20.2% 29.5%
2011 51.4% 21.3% 28.3%
2012 45.9% 22.2% 29.6%
2013 49.6% 21.7% 30.2%
2014 47.2% 23.4% 24.5%
2015 54.4% 25.3% 27.7%
2016 60.3% 25.5% 29.4%
2017 60.4% 25.6% 28.2%
2018 62.5% 26.1% 33.9%
2019 66.2% 20% 36%
2020 51.6% 17.5% 35.8%
2021 48.6% 14.3% 33.5%
2022 55.8% 13.5% 32.7%
2023 60.9% 14.3% 35.7%
2024 56.3% 14.3% 38%
Who Lives Here

18.4% of residents were born outside the United States, compared with 1.0% in 2009. Residents identifying as something other than non-Hispanic white make up 75.1% of the town, up from 58.8% at the start of the period.

Year Foreign-born Nonwhite or Hispanic
2009 1% 58.8%
2010 2.2% 69.4%
2011 3.6% 63%
2012 3% 66.8%
2013 3% 62.4%
2014 4.8% 61.5%
2015 2.8% 61.5%
2016 4.4% 57.1%
2017 4% 56.5%
2018 6.3% 57.9%
2019 4.9% 56.7%
2020 10.1% 67.7%
2021 11.6% 69.6%
2022 17.2% 69.3%
2023 18.2% 75.3%
2024 18.4% 75.1%