About one in 11 people in Petersburg Borough, Alaska, lives below the poverty line
In Petersburg Borough, 9.1% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Petersburg Borough's score
In Petersburg Borough, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 48.4. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 11.9. People with a credit card behind: 2.0%, August 2025, lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Petersburg 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.
Petersburg Borough isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 48.4 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 rent13.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.1% · fiscal year 202772nd percentile
-
- 33.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202646th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.9% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
-
- 32.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.1% · 202415th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.0% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability15.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$77,989 · 202423rd percentile
-
- 14.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.3% · August 202523rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 20255th or lower percentile
-
- 11.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.0% · August 20255th or lower 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 score32.9% · second quarter of 202622nd percentile
-
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 Petersburg 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 Petersburg Borough, 23.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Petersburg Borough
Alaska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
The share of households in Petersburg Borough getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.5% in 2020 to 8.0% in 2021.
The share of households in Petersburg Borough getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen to 7.6%
Low on the chart: 5.3% 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, Petersburg Borough, Alaska.
How Petersburg Borough has changed
The number of jobs located in Petersburg Borough rose most sharply from its first year (805 in 2008) to 1,412 in 2013.
The number of jobs located in Petersburg Borough was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 1,412 in 2013. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Petersburg Borough, Alaska.
The number of people living in Petersburg Borough fell 9% from 2009 to 2024.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 2009 3,775 | 2024 3,436 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 2010 8.1% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 2009 9.2% | 2024 9.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 2009 $51,374 | 2024 $77,989 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 2009 19.3% | 2024 24.8% |
The table uses 5.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Petersburg Borough's history
Petersburg Borough beside its neighbors
All three counties that border Petersburg Borough score higher than it does. Of the group, Petersburg Borough gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Wrangell City and Borough gets the largest, at 33.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, AK | 57 | 16.9% | 28.2% |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, AK | 53 | 16.8% | 25.9% |
| Wrangell City and Borough, AK | 27 | 11.1% | 33.2% |
| Petersburg Borough, AK | 14 | 9.1% | 24.8% |
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 Petersburg Borough the poorest county in Alaska?
No, Petersburg Borough's poverty rate was 9.1% in 2024, 20th 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, Petersburg Borough ranks 25th of 30 in the state.
Questions about Petersburg Borough, Alaska
What is the population of Petersburg Borough, Alaska?
3,436 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 3,398, 89% of the county's peak of 3,815 in 2010.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Petersburg 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.
-
Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC)
Legal aid
-
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 Petersburg 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 Petersburg Borough comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.