Wainwright, Alaska
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
Read it as a page
-
Population
Down 6.2% since 2020.
586
people, the 50th-largest of Alaska's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Alaska's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
-
The workday
9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
91.5%
of 130 jobs located in Wainwright are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2016. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
-
Rent
Median rent is down 9% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$833
a month. Alaska's median is $1,419.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
-
The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $293.
A $293 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in North Slope Borough.
- $1,067 Tract 2
- $1,360 Tract 1
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
-
Room to build
Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.
$1,110–$1,664
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $833 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2016 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
-
Building
Most of the housing here is older than 2000.
- 94% of all homes were built before 2000
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
-
Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.5% to the 206 homes here.
1
is the estimated number of missing housing units; all three estimates agree.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2016 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
-
Home value
A median home costs 67% less than Alaska's.
$117,000
median home value in Wainwright.
- $117,000 Wainwright
- $352,900 Alaska
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year