Bethel Census Area, AK
Demographic and economic profile of Bethel Census Area, AK, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.
AI Overview
Bethel Census Area is a small, predominantly subsistence-oriented Alaskan region with a population of 18,487 that grew 2.5% over five years, supported by a median household income of $73,996 despite a per capita income of just $24,976 and a 24.0% poverty rate. The workforce is young, with a median age of 29.0, but faces structural challenges: unemployment sits at 14.1%, labor force participation is 60.7%, and only 10.4% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median home values are low at $120,600, commutes average just 7.4 minutes, and the nearly entirely domestic-born population (2.0% foreign-born) reflects the area's geographic and cultural isolation.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page
Population Growth (5-year)
+2.5% since 2018
Bethel Census Area added population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.
Demographics
Race & Ethnicity
- American Indian & Alaska Native Alone15,445 (84.0%)
- White Alone1,529 (8.3%)
- Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races780 (4.2%)
- Asian Alone289 (1.6%)
- Black or African American Alone228 (1.2%)
- Some Other Race Alone62 (0.3%)
Top Languages Spoken at Home
- 1.Korean169
- 2.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)117
- 3.Spanish66
- 4.German or other West Germanic47
- 5.Other Asian and Pacific Island44
Economy
Cost of Living Index
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Not yet cached
Top Industries
- 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance1,863
- 2.Public Administration (Group)1,688
- 3.Retail Trade (Group)681
- 4.Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities589
- 5.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services464
Top Occupations
- 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations2,375
- 2.Sales & Office Occupations1,582
- 3.Service Occupations1,219
- 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations847
- 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations516
Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)
- 1.Public Administration (LQ 4.57×)1,417
- 2.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 4.44×)465
- 3.Transportation, Warehousing, & Utilities (LQ 1.65×)635
- 4.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.14×)1,747
- 5.Other Services (LQ 1.01×)312
Housing
Education
Workforce
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More on FDI Connect
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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.