US Census Data

Fairbanks North Star Borough vs Ketchikan Gateway Borough

A side-by-side comparison of Fairbanks North Star Borough and Ketchikan Gateway Borough: population, income, housing, and more.

Fairbanks North Star Borough and Ketchikan Gateway Borough are counties in Alaska. This page compares them across population, income, housing, education, commuting, and how each has changed since 2019.

Fairbanks North Star Borough has the higher population (95,555 vs 13,870 in Ketchikan Gateway Borough). Ketchikan Gateway Borough has the higher median household income ($89,155 vs $84,722 in Fairbanks North Star Borough). Ketchikan Gateway Borough has the higher median home value ($379,000 vs $282,500 in Fairbanks North Star Borough).

Population, income & housing

Fairbanks North Star BoroughKetchikan Gateway Borough
Population95,55513,870
Median age32.4 yrs40.8 yrs
Median household income$84,722$89,155
Median home value$282,500$379,000
Median gross rent$1,424$1,388
Housing units42,6956,659
Homeownership rate61.7%67.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher33.7%27.0%
Unemployment rate4.9%3.5%

Trends (ACS 5-year, 2019–2023)

Fairbanks North Star BoroughKetchikan Gateway Borough
Population99,072 → 95,555 (-3.5%)13,800 → 13,870 (+0.5%)
Median household income$76,992 → $84,722 (+10.0%)$72,728 → $89,155 (+22.6%)
Median home value$240,000 → $282,500 (+17.7%)$289,900 → $379,000 (+30.7%)
Median gross rent$1,305 → $1,424 (+9.1%)$1,169 → $1,388 (+18.7%)

Fairbanks North Star Borough

Population
99,07295,555
Median household income
$76,992$84,722
Median home value
$240,000$282,500
Median gross rent
$1,305$1,424

Ketchikan Gateway Borough

Population
13,80013,870
Median household income
$72,728$89,155
Median home value
$289,900$379,000
Median gross rent
$1,169$1,388

Age & race/ethnicity

Age distribution (share)

Fairbanks North Star BoroughKetchikan Gateway Borough
Under 57.1%4.7%
5 to 1716.8%16.0%
18 to 2412.0%7.2%
25 to 3417.8%14.2%
35 to 4413.4%13.9%
45 to 5410.2%12.0%
55 to 6410.4%14.5%
65 to 748.4%11.4%
75 and over3.8%5.9%

Race & ethnicity (share)

Fairbanks North Star BoroughKetchikan Gateway Borough
White (non-Hispanic)67.5%61.4%
Black or African American3.7%0.4%
American Indian & Alaska Native6.3%12.5%
Asian2.9%9.0%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander0.6%0.2%
Some other race0.7%0.3%
Two or more races10.2%11.0%
Hispanic or Latino8.2%5.3%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

Share of adults 25+

Fairbanks North Star BoroughKetchikan Gateway Borough
No high school diploma5.1%5.1%
High school graduate25.6%29.3%
Some college or associate's35.6%38.6%
Bachelor's degree19.9%18.2%
Graduate or professional degree13.9%8.8%

Commute to work

How workers get to work (share)

Fairbanks North Star BoroughKetchikan Gateway Borough
Drove alone72.5%68.1%
Carpooled12.4%14.1%
Public transit0.9%2.9%
Walked5.5%6.9%
Bicycle0.8%0.0%
Worked from home6.4%4.7%
Other means1.5%3.3%

Housing

Units in structure (share)

Fairbanks North Star BoroughKetchikan Gateway Borough
1-unit, detached59.9%55.1%
1-unit, attached9.5%6.4%
2 to 4 units13.5%19.4%
5 to 19 units8.4%7.8%
20 or more units5.7%8.2%
Mobile home & other3.0%3.2%

Poverty & households

Fairbanks North Star BoroughKetchikan Gateway Borough
Poverty rate6.2%9.5%
Average household size2.532.41
Mean commute (minutes)2014
Median year structure built19851976

Full profiles

2

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