Point Barrow Refuge Station · National Register of Historic Places
Utqiaġvik’s story
67 years in pictures
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1959Utqiaġvik is settled
UtqiaġvikAK
A town of 4,778, settled in 1959. Healthier than 62% of U.S. towns.
Photo: Andrei from New York City/Juneau, U.S.A. · CC BY 2.0
Population
4,778
residents
Median home value
$311K
Census ACS
Household income
$115K
median
Median age
34.4
years
Land area
22 sq mi
What makes Utqiaġvik stand out
The 3 things Utqiaġvik does most differently from other towns.
College town
Ilisagvik College calls Utqiaġvik home
College Scorecard · IPEDS
Utqiaġvik’s report card
Now in Utqiaġvik
Be the first to start the conversation.
Residents weigh in
Utqiaġvik is #34 of 34 in AK for “Best schools”. Fair?
Your answer becomes a post in Utqiaġvik’s Town Square.
Start a conversation
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Utqiaġvik. Another town gets a different order.
Health
Healthier than 38% of U.S. towns
Utqiaġvik beats the Alaska average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11.
C+Health Grade
32 measures vs. Alaska
2 better19 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Utqiaġvik | AK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.7% | 7% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 19.1% | 23.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 21.6% | 14.3% |
Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital
2.5 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
14th
percentile among AK towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →
Natural hazards
Very low risk, with cold waves at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 0% of U.S. communities.
0risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →
Schools
Utqiaġvik’s public schools outperform 12% of Alaska districts
The public schools Utqiaġvik’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 88% of Alaska’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.
DSchool Grade
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Ipalook Elementary | PK–5 | 494 | C− |
| Eben Hopson Middle School | 6–8 | 214 | C |
| Barrow High School | 9–12 | 259 | C− |
| Kiita Learning Community | 9–12 | 39 | Not graded |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduationAll 4 schools →
Climate
Snowy winters, pleasant summers
Utqiaġvik has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 48°, a January night drops to -18°, and about 46 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
46″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter-16–-4°
Spring-0–11°
Summer34–44°
Fall16–25°
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →
Outdoors
0.7% of Utqiaġvik is conserved land
4.8 miles of trails across 0 parks and preserves.
0.7%conserved
0.7%
conserved · 93 of 13,565 acres
4.8 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →
Landmarks
2 places in Utqiaġvik on the National Register of Historic Places.
Famous people from Utqiaġvik
10 notable people were born in Utqiaġvik.
E
Edna Ahgeak MacLeanIñupiaq linguist, anthropologist and educator from Alaska · born 1944
R
Robyn BurkeAmerican politician · born 1991About Utqiaġvik
City in Alaska, United States
Utqiaġvik, formerly known as Barrow, is the borough seat and largest city of the North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located north of the Arctic Circle, it is one of the northernmost cities and towns in the world and the northernmost in the United States, with nearby Point Barrow as the country's northernmost point. Utqiaġvik's population was 4,927 at the 2020 census, an increase from 4,212 in 2010. It is the 12th-most populated city in Alaska.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1959
- Population
- 4,928
- Area
- 22 sq mi
- Elevation
- 10 ft
- ZIP code
- 99723
- Area code
- 907