Thorne Bay, Alaska Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 519, Thorne Bay's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Thorne Bay is a small community located in Alaska, within Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area. The total population is 519. It ranks as the 125th most populous out of 326 Census-designated places in Alaska.

Age Demographics

The median age in Thorne Bay is 37.2 years. This is 4% higher than the state median of 35.8 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Thorne Bay is $61,250. This is 34% lower than the state median of $92,788. It is also 24% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 4.2%. This is 58% lower than the state poverty rate of 10.1%. This exceptionally low poverty rate indicates strong economic prosperity across the community. The unemployment rate is 9.5%. This is 63% higher than the state rate of 5.9%. The median home value is $270,000. Housing costs are 23% lower than the state median of $352,900. The home-value-to-income ratio is 4.4x. 57.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 13% lower than the state average of 66.8%.

Race & Ethnicity

Thorne Bay has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 87.7% of all residents. Asian residents account for 2.9%. The White (non-Hispanic) population is significantly higher than the state average (87.7% vs 57.7%). The Hispanic or Latino population (1.7%) is well below the state average of 7.3%. The Asian population (2.9%) is well below the state average of 6.3%.

Education

21.6% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 32% lower than the state rate of 31.7%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 92.4%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Thorne Bay, Alaska is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against Alaska state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 326 Census-designated places in Alaska. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.