The People

As of 2009, Alaska [1]’s population was 680,000. Of this, roughly 16 percent were of Native Alaskan descent. The nonnative population is predominantly white, with a small percentage of black, Hispanic, Asian, and Pacific Islanders. The Hispanic and Asian populations are growing rapidly in Alaska, and visitors to bush towns are often surprised to find that many of the restaurants are owned by Korean Americans, the cab drivers may be from the former Yugoslavia, and the cannery workers come from the Philippines or Mexico. Of course, the cruise ships that ply Inside Passage waters are staffed by workers from all over the globe. Anchorage [2] has by far the most diverse population; more than one-third of its residents are Hispanic, Asian, black, or Native Alaskan.

The Average Joe

According to statistics, the “typical” Alaskan is a 32-year-old white male. I think I know him: He’s single, has a college degree, lives in Anchorage, works for Federal Express, hunts caribou with his buddies each fall, drives a big Ford pickup, owns a four-wheeler and snowmachine (they call them snowmobiles Outside), and is likely to be seen at Chilkoot Charlie’s most Friday nights. (By the way, the bald guy who gained notoriety as “Joe the Plumber” in the 2008 presidential election campaign was a former resident of Alaska.) The state has the second-highest percentage of kids under 18 of any state; only Utah is higher.

In Anchorage and the other large Alaskan cities, the ratio of men to women is almost equal, but the state as a whole has one of the highest male-to-female ratios in the nation: 104 males to 100 females (compared with 95 males to 100 females Outside). Of course, you should also know the old and all-too-accurate adage: Alaska, where the odds are good, but the goods are odd.

Alaska is the largest state but the third-least populous (behind Wyoming and Vermont), resulting in the lowest population density—1.0 people per square mile (compare this to Wyoming, which has the second smallest at 4.7, or New Jersey, the most crowded at 1,042). It’s also second to last in the number of people born in-state (34 percent); Florida is last at 31 percent. Alaska takes last place in its percentage of farm workers (0.1 percent).