Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska | |
|---|---|
.jpg) A World War II bunker abandoned inDutch Harbor,Amaknak Island | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofAlaska | |
| Coordinates:52°09′47″N174°17′06″W / 52.16298°N 174.28505°W /52.16298; -174.28505 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Alaska |
| Established | October 23, 1987[1] |
| Named after | Aleutian Islands |
| Largest city | Unalaska |
| Area | |
• Total | 14,116 sq mi (36,560 km2) |
| • Land | 4,390 sq mi (11,400 km2) |
| • Water | 9,726 sq mi (25,190 km2) 68.9% |
| Population | |
• Total | 5,232 |
| • Density | 1.27/sq mi (0.49/km2) |
| Time zones | UTC−9 (Alaska) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−8 (ADT) |
| UTC−10 (Hawaii–Aleutian) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−9 (HADT) |
| Congressional district | At-large |
Aleutians West Census Area (Russian:Западные Алеутские острова) is acensus area located in theU.S. state ofAlaska. As of the2020 census, the population was 5,232,[2] down from 5,561 in 2010.[3]
It is part of theUnorganized Borough and therefore has noborough seat. Its largest city isUnalaska, home to about 80% of the population. It contains most of theAleutian Islands, fromAttu Island in the west toUnalaska Island in the east, as well as thePribilof Islands, which lie north of the Aleutians in theBering Sea.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the census area has a total area of 14,116 square miles (36,560 km2), of which 4,390 square miles (11,400 km2) is land and 9,726 square miles (25,190 km2) (68.9%) is water.[4] It borders theAleutians East Borough to the east.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 6,011 | — | |
| 1970 | 8,057 | 34.0% | |
| 1980 | 7,768 | −3.6% | |
| 1990 | 9,478 | 22.0% | |
| 2000 | 5,465 | −42.3% | |
| 2010 | 5,561 | 1.8% | |
| 2020 | 5,232 | −5.9% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 5,424 | [5] | 3.7% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2020[3] | |||
A 2014 analysis byThe Atlantic found the Aleutians West Census Area to be the most racially diverse county-equivalent in the United States.[10] According to theBrookings Institution,Asian Americans are the largestpopulation of color in the census area, a majority of which areFilipino Americans.[11]
As of the2020 census, the census area had a population of 5,232. The median age was 38.7 years. 12.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 5.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 190.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 210.9 males age 18 and over.[12]
The racial makeup of the census area was 31.9% White, 5.0%Black or African American, 13.9%American Indian and Alaska Native, 28.9%Asian, 4.6%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 8.6% from some other race, and 7.1% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 12.8% of the population.[13]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[14]
There were 902 households in the census area, of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[12]
There were 1,331 housing units, of which 32.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 40.4% were owner-occupied and 59.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 19.4%.[12]
| Ancestry | % of Population |
|---|---|
| Filipino | 26.8% |
| Mexican | 8.2% |
| Aleut | 7.6% |
| Ukrainian | 4.1% |
| German | 4% |
| Irish | 3.9% |
| Samoan | 3.8% |
| English | 3.6% |
| Serbian | 2.8% |
| Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska | 2.4% |
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1990[16] | Pop 2000[17] | Pop 2010[18] | Pop 2020[19] | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 6,130 | 2,059 | 1,745 | 1,585 | 64.68% | 37.68% | 31.38% | 30.29% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 635 | 165 | 318 | 257 | 6.70% | 3.02% | 5.72% | 4.91% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 1,066 | 1,136 | 841 | 709 | 11.25% | 20.79% | 15.12% | 13.55% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 898 | 1,338 | 1,575 | 1,502 | 9.47% | 24.48% | 28.32% | 28.71% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[20] | 33 | 102 | 238 | x | 0.60% | 1.83% | 4.55% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 7 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 0.07% | 0.07% | 0.09% | 0.19% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[21] | 157 | 249 | 263 | x | 2.87% | 4.48% | 5.03% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 742 | 573 | 726 | 668 | 7.83% | 10.48% | 13.06% | 12.77% |
| Total | 9,478 | 5,465 | 5,561 | 5,232 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
At the2000 census, there were 5,465 people, 1,270 households, and 736 families residing in the census area. The population density was 1.24 people per square mile (0.48 people/km2). There were 2,234 housing units at an average density of 0.51 per square mile (0.20/km2).
Theracial makup of the census area was 40.04%White, 3.02%Black orAfrican American, 20.95%Native American, 24.59%Asian, 0.62%Pacific Islander, 7.32% from other races, and 3.46% from two or more races. 10.48%.[22] wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 13.89% reported speakingTagalog at home, while 11.22% spokeSpanish, 5.97%Aleut, and 4.51%Vietnamese.[23]
Of the 1,270 households 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.00% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.00% were non-families. 32.00% of households were one person and 2.10% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.26.
The age distribution was 17.20% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 47.60% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 2.30% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 180.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 202.10 males.
The largest community in the Aleutians West Census Area is the city ofUnalaska.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1960 | 90 | 28.57% | 225 | 71.43% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 38 | 10.76% | 315 | 89.24% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 188 | 50.13% | 165 | 44.00% | 22 | 5.87% |
| 1972 | 371 | 64.97% | 177 | 31.00% | 23 | 4.03% |
| 1976 | 379 | 59.03% | 232 | 36.14% | 31 | 4.83% |
| 1980 | 478 | 48.73% | 341 | 34.76% | 162 | 16.51% |
| 1984 | 850 | 65.99% | 413 | 32.07% | 25 | 1.94% |
| 1988 | 1,241 | 66.51% | 580 | 31.08% | 45 | 2.41% |
| 1992 | 803 | 37.56% | 687 | 32.13% | 648 | 30.31% |
| 1996 | 528 | 38.88% | 598 | 44.04% | 232 | 17.08% |
| 2000 | 704 | 51.20% | 514 | 37.38% | 157 | 11.42% |
| 2004 | 508 | 51.00% | 455 | 45.68% | 33 | 3.31% |
| 2008 | 685 | 49.71% | 648 | 47.02% | 45 | 3.27% |
| 2012 | 426 | 34.38% | 778 | 62.79% | 35 | 2.82% |
| 2016 | 403 | 32.84% | 699 | 56.97% | 125 | 10.19% |
| 2020 | 551 | 42.98% | 692 | 53.98% | 39 | 3.04% |
| 2024 | 469 | 48.30% | 474 | 48.82% | 28 | 2.88% |
At the federal level, the Aleutians West Census Area is part ofAlaska's at-large congressional district along with the rest of the state. The census area is represented byLyman Hoffman (D) in theAlaska Senate and byBryce Edgmon (D) in theAlaska House of Representatives. In presidential elections, it has consistently backed Democrats since 2012, although Kamala Harris won the borough by five votes in 2024.
School districts within the census area are:Aleutian Region School District,Pribilof School District, andUnalaska City School District.[25]
Places adjacent to Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofAleutians West Census Area, Alaska,United States | ||
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