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Your life in Bethel Census Area, Alaska
Every sentence below is a real figure from a public dataset, ranked against every other county that reports it. The odds you landed here are the odds an American lives here. Sources are at the end.
What stands out
What stands out about Bethel Census Area: unemployment is among the highest in America (8.8%), violent crime is among the highest in America (5.9 per 1,000), and the typical two-bedroom rent is in the top 2% of American counties ($1,717 a month). Within Alaska it ranks 4th of 30 counties for unemployment.
Where you are
You live in Bethel Census Area, Alaska. 18,538 people live here with you. The population held steady at 0.2% last year, and more Americans moved out than in (net -276).
Alaska has no state income tax and no state sales tax, and it pays residents an annual Permanent Fund Dividend from oil revenue. Most goods arrive by barge or air, so groceries, fuel and building materials cost well above the national average, and winter heating is a major line item. Roughly half the population lives in the Anchorage area; much of the rest is reachable only by plane or ferry.
Money
The typical household here brings in $64,094 a year, higher than 60% of American counties. Employers pay an average wage of $54,820. Unemployment runs 8.8%, higher than almost every county in America. 6% of workers work from home.
Alaska has no state income tax, so none of that goes to the state.
Home
A two-bedroom rents for around $1,717 a month. 59% of households own rather than rent.
Safety and health
Violent crime here is 5.9 per 1,000 residents, higher than almost every county in America. Drug overdoses killed 55 people per 100,000 in 2024, one of the harder-hit counties in the country.
A child born here can expect to live 69.8 years, shorter than 96% of American counties. There are 21 active physicians in the county, about 11.3 per 10,000 people. Medicare rates the local hospitals 5.0 of 5 stars. 15.0% of people under 65 have no health insurance.
School
83% of adults finished high school.
Neighbors and politics
Under Alaska law you can carry a concealed handgun without a permit, abortion is protected by state law, and marijuana is legal for adults.
Weather and risk
FEMA puts natural-hazard risk at 17 out of 100, safer than 83% of American counties; the county has had 45 federal disaster declarations since 1953.
Getting around, going out
Home internet averages 86 Mbps down, slower than 91% of American counties. There are 39 airports in the county, counting general aviation. For a night or a weekend out: 0.3 full-service restaurants per 1,000 people.
Where these numbers come from
- BLS QCEW 2024
- CDC 2024
- CMS 2024
- Census 2023
- Census ACS
- Census ACS 2022
- Census Population Estimates 2023
- Census SAHIE 2024
- County Health Rankings 2024
- Derived from ACS 2022 home value / household income
- FAA Airport Database
- FEMA Disaster Declarations 1953–2026
- FEMA National Risk Index 2023 (0–100, all hazards)
- HRSA Area Health Resources File 2023
- IMLS
- NOAA Climate Normals
- National Park Service
- Ookla Speedtest Intelligence
- Open Brewery DB
- OpenElections 2024
- SEDA via County Health Rankings 2024 (3.0 = at grade level; not a Z-score)
- Tax Foundation 2023
- USDA Food Environment Atlas
- Zillow ZHVI 2024
- Alaska tax and law data: state revenue department, Tax Foundation, Giffords, Guttmacher (2026)
Percentiles compare this county with every other county that reports the same figure. Missing figures are left out rather than guessed. Share this page: the address is permanent.