Official Federal Data
Bethel Census Area, Alaska
FIPS 02050 · Population 18,394
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$73,996 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
12% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$837M ▲
GDP
12.8% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 18,394 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$73,996 ▲
Per Capita
$26,543 ▲
Mean Household
$95,078 ▲
Poverty Rate
25.6% ▼approx.
Median Income Comparison
Bethel Census Area$73,996
Alaska$92,788
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 34.7%
18-34 · 25.5%
35-54 · 20.8%
55-64 · 10.7%
65+ · 8.4%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
82.2%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 7.4 pts
12.8%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 22.9 pts
4.9%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 9.2 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
18,394
Population
7,836
Labor Force
Employed
6,539
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
12% ▲ +1.4 pts YoY
Mean Commute 26 min below national avg
0.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
7.1%
Key Takeaways
- Elevated poverty: At 25.6%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 22.9 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
- Young population: Median age of 29 is materially below the U.S. norm, a workforce pipeline asset.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 766 workers (37.4% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $28,062.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $837M (2024).
- Wage stratification: Transportation and Warehousing averages $68,810 while Wholesale Trade averages $23,841, a 2.9x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Retail Trade Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
628
Cluster Employment
4.83x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Air Transportation
11.11x 254
Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional Orgs
8.29x 473
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
4.83x 202
Utilities
4.49x 108
General Merchandise Retailers
3.30x 426
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Air Transportation concentrates at 11.11x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 5 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$168,100 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,474 ▲
Rent/Mo
61.6% ▲
Owner-Occ
19.7% ▼
Vacancy
2.3x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,688/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,719/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,938/mo
3 Bedroom
$2,324/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,566/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,850/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.3x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- Elevated vacancy: 19.7% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Affordable rent tiers: 2 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,850/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
10,474 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 26 min below national avg
0.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
7.1%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
66.4%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
12.8% ▲
HS Diploma+
82.2% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
5,225/yr
1,895/yr
1,305/yr
1,209/yr
463/yr
215/yr
138/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
18.8%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
36.3%
Service
18.6%
Sales & Office
24.2%
Construction / Maint.
7.9%
Production / Transport
13%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 6,539 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 4,409 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Bethel Census Area shows strong potential for air transportation attraction, with a 11.11x concentration and 254 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across air transportation, religious, grantmaking, civic, professional orgs, and gasoline stations and fuel dealers creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Bethel Census Area, Alaska, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Bethel Census Area, Alaska?
18,394 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Bethel Census Area, Alaska?
$73,996 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Bethel Census Area, Alaska?
12% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Bethel Census Area, Alaska?
$837M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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