County Data

Alaska County Distress Index

Financial distress scores for all 30 counties in Alaska, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 37.4.

Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26

Alaska Snapshot

30 Counties Scored
37.4 Mean Score
38.3 Median Score
55.5 Northwest Arctic Borough Most Distressed
19.3 Denali Borough Least Distressed
1 Elevated 17 Normal 12 Healthy
Zone Distribution

Alaska County Map

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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis

All 30 Alaska counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.

Most & Least Distressed

Most Distressed

#1 Northwest Arctic Borough
55.5 Elevated
Consumer Credit Distress
#2 Anchorage Municipality
47.6 Normal
Housing Cost Burden
#3 Bethel Census Area
47.0 Normal
Economic Vitality

Least Distressed

#30 Denali Borough
19.3 Healthy
Structural Poverty
#29 Chugach Census Area
25.5 Healthy
Housing Cost Burden
#28 Bristol Bay Borough
25.6 Healthy
Structural Poverty

Score Distribution

How Alaska's 30 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.

All Alaska Counties

30 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.

State Rank Nat'l Rank County Score Zone Primary Driver
1 1,246 Northwest Arctic Borough 55.5 Elevated Consumer Credit Distress
2 1,740 Anchorage Municipality 47.6 Normal Housing Cost Burden
3 1,774 Bethel Census Area 47.0 Normal Economic Vitality
4 1,791 Dillingham Census Area 46.8 Normal Structural Poverty
5 1,915 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area 44.7 Normal Structural Poverty
6 1,929 Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area 44.5 Normal Structural Poverty
7 1,970 Fairbanks North Star Borough 43.8 Normal Housing Cost Burden
8 2,023 Matanuska-Susitna Borough 42.9 Normal Housing Cost Burden
9 2,071 Kusilvak Census Area 41.9 Normal Structural Poverty
10 2,099 Ketchikan Gateway Borough 41.4 Normal Housing Cost Burden
11 2,111 Aleutians West Census Area 41.2 Normal Economic Vitality
12 2,161 Nome Census Area 40.5 Normal Structural Poverty
13 2,268 Aleutians East Borough 38.8 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
14 2,277 Petersburg Borough 38.6 Normal Economic Vitality
15 2,279 Kenai Peninsula Borough 38.6 Normal Housing Cost Burden
16 2,318 North Slope Borough 37.9 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
17 2,323 Sitka City and Borough 37.9 Normal Housing Cost Burden
18 2,411 Hoonah-Angoon Census Area 36.2 Normal Structural Poverty
19 2,474 Lake and Peninsula Borough 35.0 Healthy Structural Poverty
20 2,524 Skagway Municipality 34.0 Healthy Economic Vitality
21 2,558 Yakutat City and Borough 33.5 Healthy Structural Poverty
22 2,624 Copper River Census Area 32.4 Healthy Structural Poverty
23 2,674 Wrangell City and Borough 31.6 Healthy Structural Poverty
24 2,747 Southeast Fairbanks Census Area 30.2 Healthy Structural Poverty
25 2,782 Juneau City and Borough 29.5 Healthy Economic Vitality
26 2,790 Kodiak Island Borough 29.3 Healthy Economic Vitality
27 2,793 Haines Borough 29.2 Healthy Economic Vitality
28 2,941 Bristol Bay Borough 25.6 Healthy Structural Poverty
29 2,946 Chugach Census Area 25.5 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
30 3,088 Denali Borough 19.3 Healthy Structural Poverty

How County Scores Work

Each county is scored 0–100 using PCA-weighted percentile-rank scoring across five statistically derived dimensions: Consumer Credit Distress, Housing Cost Burden, Structural Poverty, Economic Vitality, and Legal Distress. A score of 50 means the county falls at the national median. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.

Crisis (≥80) — Among the most distressed counties in the country
Serious (65–80) — More distressed than roughly 80% of counties
Elevated (50–65) — More distressed than roughly half of counties
Normal (35–50) — Near the national median
Healthy (<35) — Less distressed than most counties

Full CDI methodology and data sources

Alaska Resources

Alaska State Profile

State ADI score: 40.5 (Healthy). Debt, delinquency, and economic indicators for Alaska.

Find Help in Alaska

HUD-approved housing counselors, legal aid offices, credit counselors, and debtor education providers in Alaska.

Alaska Foreclosure Laws

Foreclosure process, timeline, homeowner protections, and legal resources in Alaska.

State Distress Rankings

All 51 U.S. jurisdictions ranked by financial distress. Compare Alaska to the rest of the country.

National County Profiles

All 3,144 U.S. counties ranked by financial distress score.
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If you're struggling with debt or facing foreclosure, free help is available. Find help near you · Browse the Glossary · The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides HUD-approved housing counselors at no cost. You can also call 1-800-569-4287.