Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska

Aleutians West Census Area
Borough
A World War II bunker abandoned in Dutch Harbor, Amaknak Island
Location within the U.S. state of Alaska
Alaska's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 52°09′47″N 174°17′06″W / 52.16298°N 174.28505°W / 52.16298; -174.28505
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Established	October 23, 1987[1]
Named for	Aleutian Islands
Largest city	Unalaska
Area
• Total	14,116 sq mi (36,560 km2)
• Land	4,390 sq mi (11,400 km2)
• Water	9,726 sq mi (25,190 km2)  68.9%
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,122
• Density	1.27/sq mi (0.49/km2)
Time zones	UTC−9 (Alaska)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−8 (ADT)
	UTC−10 (Hawaii–Aleutian)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−9 (HADT)
Congressional district	At-large

Aleutians West Census Area (Russian: Западные Алеутские острова) is a census area located in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,232,^[2] down from 5,561 in 2010.^[3]

It is part of the Unorganized Borough and therefore has no borough seat. Its largest city is Unalaska, home to about 80% of the population. It contains most of the Aleutian Islands, from Attu Island in the west to Unalaska Island in the east, as well as the Pribilof Islands, which lie north of the Aleutians in the Bering Sea.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the census area has a total area of 14,116 square miles (36,560 km²), of which 4,390 square miles (11,400 km²) is land and 9,726 square miles (25,190 km²) (68.9%) is water.^[4] It borders the Aleutians East Borough to the east.

• Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (part of the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea units)
  • Aleutian Islands Wilderness (part)
  • Bogoslof Wilderness
  • Pribilof Islands
• Aleutian World War II National Historic Area

• Moss Point

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1960	6,011		—
1970	8,057		34.0%
1980	7,768		−3.6%
1990	9,478		22.0%
2000	5,465		−42.3%
2010	5,561		1.8%
2020	5,232		−5.9%
2023 (est.)	5,160	[5]	−1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2020[3]

A 2014 analysis by The Atlantic found the Aleutians West Census Area to be the most racially diverse county-equivalent in the United States.^[10] According to the Brookings Institution, Asian Americans are the largest population of color in the census area, a majority of which are Filipino Americans.^[11]

Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000[12]	Pop 2010[13]	Pop 2020[14]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	2,059	1,745	1,585	37.68%	31.38%	30.29%
Black or African American alone (NH)	165	318	257	3.02%	5.72%	4.91%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	1,136	841	709	20.79%	15.12%	13.55%
Asian alone (NH)	1,338	1,575	1,502	24.48%	28.32%	28.71%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	33	102	238	0.60%	1.83%	4.55%
Other race alone (NH)	4	5	10	0.07%	0.09%	0.19%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	157	249	263	2.87%	4.48%	5.03%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	573	726	668	10.48%	13.06%	12.77%
Total	5,465	5,561	5,232	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

Most Self-Reported Ancestries in Aleutians West Census Area (American Community Survey 2020 five year estimates) ^{[15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]}

Ancestry	Percentage of Population
Filipino	39.68%
Aleut	11.79%
Mexican	8.62%
German	5.71%
Black or African American	4.63%
European	4.08%
Irish	3.98%
Vietnamese	3.56%
Samoan	2.65%
Cuban	2.30%

At the 2000 census, there were 5,465 people, 1,270 households, and 736 families residing in the census area. The population density was 1.24 people per square mile (0.48 people/km²). There were 2,234 housing units at an average density of 0.51 per square mile (0.20/km²).

The racial makup of the census area was 40.04% White, 3.02% Black or African American, 20.95% Native American, 24.59% Asian, 0.62% Pacific Islander, 7.32% from other races, and 3.46% from two or more races. 10.48%.^[21] were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.89% reported speaking Tagalog at home, while 11.22% spoke Spanish, 5.97% Aleut, and 4.51% Vietnamese.^[22]

Of the 1,270 households 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.00% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.00% were non-families. 32.00% of households were one person and 2.10% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.26.

The age distribution was 17.20% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 47.60% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 2.30% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 180.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 202.10 males.

The largest community in the Aleutians West Census Area is the city of Unalaska.

• Adak
• Atka
• St. George
• St. Paul
• Unalaska

• Attu Station
• Nikolski
• Eareckson Station

United States presidential election results for Aleutians West^[23]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	551	42.98%	692	53.98%	39	3.04%
2016	403	32.84%	699	56.97%	125	10.19%
2012	426	34.38%	778	62.79%	35	2.82%
2008	685	49.71%	648	47.02%	45	3.27%
2004	508	51.00%	455	45.68%	33	3.31%
2000	704	51.20%	514	37.38%	157	11.42%
1996	528	38.88%	598	44.04%	232	17.08%
1992	803	37.56%	687	32.13%	648	30.31%
1988	1,241	66.51%	580	31.08%	45	2.41%
1984	850	65.99%	413	32.07%	25	1.94%
1980	478	48.73%	341	34.76%	162	16.51%
1976	379	59.03%	232	36.14%	31	4.83%
1972	371	64.97%	177	31.00%	23	4.03%
1968	188	50.13%	165	44.00%	22	5.87%
1964	38	10.76%	315	89.24%	0	0.00%
1960	90	28.57%	225	71.43%	0	0.00%

At the federal level, the Aleutians West Census Area is part of Alaska's at-large congressional district along with the rest of the state. The census area is represented by Lyman Hoffman (D) in the Alaska Senate and by Bryce Edgmon (D) in the Alaska House of Representatives.

School districts within the census area are: Aleutian Region School District, Pribilof School District, and Unalaska City School District.^[24]

• List of airports in Alaska
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska

• Aleutians West Census Area at the Community Database Online from the Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs
• Maps from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development: [1]