Unemployment in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska, is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Northwest Arctic Borough, 9.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Northwest Arctic Borough's score
In Northwest Arctic Borough, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 95.0. Late payments on loans come next, at 66.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Northwest Arctic Borough: 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.
Northwest Arctic Borough does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (7.1%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (11.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year9.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working35.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 66.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind12.1% · August 2025top 5%
- 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 score66.5% · second quarter of 2026top 5%
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- 66.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line23.8% · 202494th percentile
- Children below the poverty line34.0% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability11.7% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- People without health insurance18.1% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,928 · 202433rd percentile
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- 50.7 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent7.1% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income33.0% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 45.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.7% · August 202585th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 20255th or lower 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 Northwest Arctic Borough 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 Northwest Arctic Borough, 8.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Northwest Arctic Borough
Alaska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Northwest Arctic Borough, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 38.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 38.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Northwest Arctic Borough getting SNAP food aid rose by about a fifth to 35.8%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2015 to 2016, reaching 34.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska.
How Northwest Arctic Borough has changed
Northwest Arctic Borough's population had its largest rise, from 4,843 in 1979 to 5,600 in 1984.
Northwest Arctic Borough's population was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 7,849 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Northwest Arctic Borough rose 39% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 2,845. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 14.9% | 2025 10.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1993 22.6% | 2024 23.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1993 $37,236 | 2024 $72,928 |
The table uses 10.0% for 2025; the score uses 9.9% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Northwest Arctic Borough's history
1986
Incorporated June 2, 1986. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 7,793, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1994
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Northwest Arctic Borough, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Northwest Arctic Borough beside its neighbors
Northwest Arctic Borough scores higher than all three counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Northwest Arctic Borough ranks 2nd of the four; Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area is highest, at 40.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Arctic Borough, AK | 74 | 23.8% | 38.2% |
| Nome Census Area, AK | 63 | 22.4% | 31.0% |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AK | 58 | 19.9% | 40.2% |
| North Slope Borough, AK | 26 | 14.8% | 9.7% |
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 Northwest Arctic Borough the poorest county in Alaska?
No, Northwest Arctic Borough's poverty rate was 23.8% in 2024, 3rd 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, Northwest Arctic Borough ranks 1st of 30 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Northwest Arctic Borough
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 Northwest Arctic Borough · 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 Northwest Arctic Borough comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.