Unemployment in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, 8.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's score
In Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 78.8. Income and the safety net comes next, at 78.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Prince of Wales-Hyder 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.
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (17.6, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (13.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 78.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year8.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.8% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 78.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.9% · 202475th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.5% · 202481st percentile
- People with a disability20.9% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- People without health insurance17.0% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,370 · 202460th percentile
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- 51.1 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 rent13.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.0% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
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- 35.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th 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 score43.9% · second quarter of 202663rd percentile
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- 31.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.5% · August 202558th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people17.6 · 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, 20.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area
Alaska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
The share of households in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 19.0% in 2009 to 23.0% in 2010.
The share of households in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 16.4%
Low on the chart: 15.4% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska.
How Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area has changed
The number of jobs located in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area more than doubled from 2008 to 2025, reaching 2,131, with most of the change between 2008 and 2013
High on the chart: 2,215 in 2018. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska.
The number of people living in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area rose 5% from 2009 to 2024.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 2009 5,465 | 2024 5,746 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 2010 10.7% | 2025 8.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 2009 15.4% | 2024 16.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 2009 $43,210 | 2024 $63,370 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 2009 24.6% | 2024 28.2% |
The table uses 8.3% for 2025; the score uses 8.8% 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's history
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area beside its neighbors
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area scores higher than all three counties that border it. Of the group, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (28.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, AK | 57 | 16.9% | 28.2% |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK | 20 | 8.2% | 20.0% |
| Petersburg Borough, AK | 14 | 9.1% | 24.8% |
| Sitka City and Borough, AK | 10 | 8.6% | 16.7% |
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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area the poorest county in Alaska?
No, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area's poverty rate was 16.9% in 2024, 9th 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, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area ranks 7th of 30 in the state.
Questions about Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska
What is the population of Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska?
5,746 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 5,753, the most of any census.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Prince of Wales-Hyder 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.