The 10 Richest Counties In Alaska For 2026


The richest counties in Alaska are Sitka City And Borough and Aleutians West Census Area for 2026 based on Saturday Night Science.

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.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | Summary


What is the richest county in Alaska? The richest county in Alaska is Sitka City And Borough. In contrast, the poorest county in state is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, according to the Census data.

Now you know exactly where to move in Alaska. Keep on reading for more about the top ten and a detailed methodology.

Or, check out the best places to live in Alaska and the cheapest places to live in Alaska.

The Richest Counties In Alaska For 2026

1. Sitka City And Borough

Sitka, AK

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 2.0

Biggest Place: Sitka
Population: 8,368
Median Income: $101,727 (3rd highest)
Median Home Price: $494,622 (highest)
More on Sitka City And BoroughData

2. Aleutians West Census Area

Unalaska, AK

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Unalaska
Population: 5,235
Median Income: $135,500 (highest)
Median Home Price: $477,487 (4th highest)
More on Aleutians West Census AreaData

3. Juneau City And Borough

Juneau, AK

Source: Wikipedia User Mark Hogan | CC BY-SA 2.0

Biggest Place: Juneau
Population: 31,794
Median Income: $101,661 (4th highest)
Median Home Price: $493,524 (2nd highest)
More on Juneau City And BoroughData

4. Anchorage Municipality

Anchorage, AK

Source: Wikipedia User Frank K. from Anchorage, Alaska, USA | CC BY 2.0

Biggest Place: Anchorage
Population: 288,976
Median Income: $103,284 (2nd highest)
Median Home Price: $434,868 (5th highest)
More on Anchorage MunicipalityData

5. Ketchikan Gateway Borough

Ketchikan, AK

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 2.0

Biggest Place: Ketchikan
Population: 13,768
Median Income: $92,885 (8th highest)
Median Home Price: $393,472 (7th highest)
More on Ketchikan Gateway BoroughData

6. Matanuska-Susitna Borough

Palmer, AK

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Knik-Fairview
Population: 112,988
Median Income: $94,031 (7th highest)
Median Home Price: $380,715 (8th highest)
More on Matanuska-Susitna BoroughData

7. Skagway Municipality

Skagway, AK

Source: Wikipedia User Mike Colvin from Manchester, UK | CC BY 2.0

Biggest Place: Skagway
Population: 1,244
Median Income: $81,136 (14th highest)
Median Home Price: $478,255 (3rd highest)
More on Skagway MunicipalityData

8. Kodiak Island Borough

Kodiak, AK

Source: Wikipedia User Katie Walker | CC BY 2.0

Biggest Place: Kodiak
Population: 12,771
Median Income: $86,250 (11th highest)
Median Home Price: $395,260 (6th highest)
More on Kodiak Island BoroughData

9. North Slope Borough

Barrow, AK

Source: Wikipedia User Andrei from New York City/Juneau, U.S.A. | CC BY 2.0

Biggest Place: Prudhoe Bay
Population: 10,810
Median Income: $95,694 (5th highest)
Median Home Price: $315,434 (13th highest)
More on North Slope BoroughData

10. Haines Borough

Haines, AK

Source: Flickr User jerseygal2009 | CC BY-ND 2.0

Biggest Place: Haines
Population: 2,086
Median Income: $86,927 (10th highest)
Median Home Price: $328,740 (11th highest)
More on Haines BoroughData

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. We have also ranked the richest states and richest cities in the United States.

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.

Here’s a look at the poorest counties in Alaska according to the data:

  1. Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area
  2. Aleutians East Borough
  3. Prince Of Wales-Hyder Census Area

For more Alaska reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Richest Counties In Alaska

Rank County Population Median Income Average Home Price
1 Sitka City And Borough 8,368 $101,727 $494,622
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
6 Matanuska-Susitna Borough 112,988 $94,031 $380,715
7 Skagway Municipality 1,244 $81,136 $478,255
8 Kodiak Island Borough 12,771 $86,250 $395,260
9 North Slope Borough 10,810 $95,694 $315,434
10 Haines Borough 2,086 $86,927 $328,740
11 Bristol Bay Borough 918 $95,625 $269,993
12 Fairbanks North Star Borough 95,460 $88,267 $303,370
13 Kenai Peninsula Borough 60,413 $80,538 $335,456
14 Petersburg Borough 3,409 $75,125 $372,286
15 Denali Borough 1,969 $80,781 $302,067
16 Yakutat City And Borough 527 $85,000 $240,995
17 Southeast Fairbanks Census Area 7,068 $73,882 $309,756
18 Wrangell City And Borough 2,088 $63,750 $325,574
19 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 $260,876
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 $184,645
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
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.