You’re probably never going to make enough money to live in the richest counties in Alaska.
The median household income in Sitka City and Borough, the richest county in Alaska is $101,727, significantly higher than the US median of $74,580, which means based purely on math most people never make enough to live there.
And that’s okay because it’s still fun to look at the people living in the lap of luxury.
So we used Saturday Night Science and the most recent Census to rank home prices and incomes for all 27 counties in the Last Frontier. Let’s star gaze together.
What is the richest county in Alaska? The richest county in Alaska is Sitka City and Borough. In contrast, the poorest county in the state is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, according to the Census data.
$101,727 median income · $494,623 median home price
$135,500 median income · $477,487 median home price
$101,661 median income · $493,524 median home price
$103,284 median income · $434,868 median home price
$92,885 median income · $393,472 median home price
$94,031 median income · $380,715 median home price
$81,136 median income · $478,256 median home price
$86,250 median income · $395,260 median home price
$95,694 median income · $315,435 median home price
$86,927 median income · $328,740 median home price
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Alaska’s statewide median.
Alaska statewide median: $92,788
Alaska statewide median: $387,636
On the map
Where Alaska’s richest counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which Alaska county is the richest?
To determine the richest county in Alaska, we have to look at a handful of metrics that correlate with how rich people are. To do that, we made assumptions about what makes a county rich. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to the American Community Survey data and Zillow for the most recent reporting period for data on the following:
- Average Home Price
- Median Income
We then ranked each county in Alaska for each of the criteria from one to 27, with one being the richest.
Taking the average rank across the two criteria, we created a Rich Score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Richest County In Alaska.”
The result is some of the places with the most expensive real estate and highest earners in the Last Frontier.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our first time ranking the richest counties to live in Alaska. The median Alaska home is 40 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Richest Counties In Alaska
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sitka City and Borough | 8,368 | $101,727 | $494,623 |
| 2 | Aleutians West Census Area | 5,235 | $135,500 | $477,487 |
| 3 | Juneau City and Borough | 31,794 | $101,661 | $493,524 |
| 4 | Anchorage Municipality | 288,976 | $103,284 | $434,868 |
| 5 | Ketchikan Gateway Borough | 13,768 | $92,885 | $393,472 |
| 5 | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 112,988 | $94,031 | $380,715 |
| 7 | Skagway Municipality | 1,244 | $81,136 | $478,256 |
| 7 | Kodiak Island Borough | 12,771 | $86,250 | $395,260 |
| 9 | North Slope Borough | 10,810 | $95,694 | $315,435 |
| 10 | Haines Borough | 2,086 | $86,927 | $328,740 |
| 11 | Bristol Bay Borough | 918 | $95,625 | $269,994 |
| 11 | Fairbanks North Star Borough | 95,460 | $88,267 | $303,371 |
| 13 | Kenai Peninsula Borough | 60,413 | $80,538 | $335,456 |
| 14 | Petersburg Borough | 3,409 | $75,125 | $372,287 |
| 15 | Denali Borough | 1,969 | $80,781 | $302,068 |
| 16 | Yakutat City and Borough | 527 | $85,000 | $240,995 |
| 17 | Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | 7,068 | $73,882 | $309,757 |
| 18 | Wrangell City and Borough | 2,088 | $63,750 | $325,574 |
| 18 | Northwest Arctic Borough | 7,441 | $84,018 | $218,697 |
| 20 | Nome Census Area | 9,866 | $78,681 | $231,988 |
| 21 | Lake and Peninsula Borough | 1,013 | $65,625 | $260,877 |
| 22 | Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | 2,311 | $61,406 | $288,667 |
| 23 | Dillingham Census Area | 4,724 | $78,533 | $174,650 |
| 24 | Bethel Census Area | 18,394 | $73,996 | $184,646 |
| 25 | Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | 5,715 | $61,156 | $247,476 |
| 26 | Aleutians East Borough | 3,491 | $65,365 | $148,837 |
| 27 | Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | 5,195 | $55,741 | $108,195 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + Zillow via Saturday Night Science. All 27 Alaska counties.
Summary
Summary: The Richest Counties In Alaska For 2026
Living in Alaska can vary from one part of the state to the next, with pretty extreme variance in home prices and incomes across counties.
The richest counties in Alaska are Sitka City and Borough, Aleutians West Census Area, Juneau City and Borough, Anchorage Municipality, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Skagway Municipality, Kodiak Island Borough, North Slope Borough, and Haines Borough.
Now you know the parts of the state where Goodwill will have the best goodies, and that’s what you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Alaska? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Richest Counties In Alaska FAQs
What is the richest county in Alaska?
Sitka City and Borough is the richest county in Alaska for 2026, with a median household income of $101,727. Aleutians West Census Area and Juneau City and Borough are next.
What are the richest counties in Alaska?
The richest counties in Alaska are Sitka City and Borough, Aleutians West Census Area, Juneau City and Borough, Anchorage Municipality, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Skagway Municipality, Kodiak Island Borough, North Slope Borough, and Haines Borough. We ranked all 27 Alaska counties on average home price and median income.
How much do people make in Sitka City and Borough?
The median household in Sitka City and Borough earns $101,727 a year, against a Alaska statewide median of $92,788. The US median household income is $74,580.
What do homes cost in the richest counties of Alaska?
The median home across the ten richest Alaska counties is $415,064, versus $387,636 statewide. In Sitka City and Borough, the typical home runs $494,623.
What is the poorest county in Alaska?
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area is the poorest county in Alaska by this ranking, coming in last of the 27 counties we scored on income and home prices.
