In Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, benefit checks make up only 7 cents of every dollar of income
In Aleutians West Census Area, 7.3% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Aleutians West Census Area's score
In Aleutians West Census Area, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 46.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 11.3. About one in nine adults aged 25 to 54 (11.6%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Aleutians West Census Area: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Aleutians West Census Area is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (18.5%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (26.3%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 46.9 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent6.1% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.3% · fiscal year 202788th percentile
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- 38.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.6% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 20255th or lower percentile
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- 35.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.8% · 202438th percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.4% · 20245th or lower percentile
- People with a disability14.4% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- People without health insurance18.5% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$109,399 · 20245th or lower percentile
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- 28.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 20258th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.7% · second quarter of 202610th percentile
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- 11.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202617th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.6% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Aleutians West Census Area comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Aleutians West Census Area, 6.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Aleutians West Census Area
Alaska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Aleutians West Census Area had its largest rise, from 4.3% in 1993 to 9.0% in 1998.
In Aleutians West Census Area, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1988, reaching 7.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than ten times as much as benefit checks
In Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1988 to 2024, reaching 7.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Aleutians West Census Area getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (2.1% in 2009) to 6.3% in 2010.
The share of households in Aleutians West Census Area getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2011 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 2.1% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska.
How Aleutians West Census Area has changed
Aleutians West Census Area's population had its largest drop, from 10,160 in 1993 to 5,339 in 1998.
Aleutians West Census Area's population was at its highest on the chart in 1993 and has since fallen by about half
High on the chart: 10,160 in 1993. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska.
The number of jobs located in Aleutians West Census Area fell most sharply on the way to its 2000 low, from 4,337 in 1995 to 3,128 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Aleutians West Census Area was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 4,337 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 0.5% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1993 6.8% | 2024 11.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $42,267 | 2024 $109,399 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Aleutians West Census Area's history
1982
King crab harvests crashed in 1982, decimating fishing industry. Wikipedia
1987
Established October 23, 1987. Wikipedia
1990
The county's largest recorded population was the 1990 Census count of 9,478. The 2020 Census counted 5,232, 55% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 2004
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Aleutians West Census Area, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Aleutians West Census Area beside its neighbors
All one counties that border Aleutians West Census Area score higher than it does.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aleutians East Borough, AK | 25 | 20.5% | 8.1% |
| Aleutians West Census Area, AK | 19 | 11.8% | 7.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Aleutians West Census Area the poorest county in Alaska?
No, Aleutians West Census Area's poverty rate was 11.8% in 2024, 15th highest of 30 in Alaska (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Kusilvak Census Area, at 34.9%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Aleutians West Census Area ranks 22nd of 30 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Aleutians West Census Area
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Aleutians West Census Area · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Aleutians West Census Area comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.