Main article: Demographics of Alaska
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 33,426 | — | |
| 1890 | 32,052 | −4.1% | |
| 1900 | 63,592 | 98.4% | |
| 1910 | 64,356 | 1.2% | |
| 1920 | 55,036 | −14.5% | |
| 1930 | 59,278 | 7.7% | |
| 1940 | 72,524 | 22.3% | |
| 1950 | 128,643 | 77.4% | |
| 1960 | 226,167 | 75.8% | |
| 1970 | 300,382 | 32.8% | |
| 1980 | 401,851 | 33.8% | |
| 1990 | 550,043 | 36.9% | |
| 2000 | 626,932 | 14.0% | |
| 2010 | 710,231 | 13.3% | |
| Est. 2016 | 741,894 | 4.5% | |
| 1930 and 1940 censuses taken in preceding autumn Sources: 1910–2010, US Census Bureau[37] 2016 Estimate[2] |
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In 2010, Alaska ranked as the 47th state by population, ahead of North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming (and Washington, D.C.)[2] Alaska is the least densely populated state, and one of the most sparsely populated areas in the world, at 1.2 inhabitants per square mile (0.46/km2), with the next state, Wyoming, at 5.8 inhabitants per square mile (2.2/km2).[38] Alaska is the largest U.S. state by area, and the tenth wealthiest (per capita income).[39] As of November 2014, the state's unemployment rate was 6.6%.[40]
Race and ancestry
According to the 2010 United States Census, Alaska had a population of 710,231. In terms of race and ethnicity, the state was 66.7% White (64.1% Non-Hispanic White), 14.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 5.4% Asian, 3.3% Black or African American, 1.0% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 1.6% from Some Other Race, and 7.3% from Two or More Races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race made up 5.5% of the population.[41]As of 2011, 50.7% of Alaska's population younger than one year of age belonged to minority groups (i.e., did not have two parents of non-Hispanic white ancestry).[42]
| [hide]Racial composition | 1970[43] | 1990[43] | 2000[44] | 2010[45] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 78.8% | 75.5% | 69.3% | 66.7% |
| Native | 16.9% | 15.6% | 15.6% | 14.8% |
| Asian | 0.9% | 3.6% | 4.0% | 5.4% |
| Black | 3.0% | 4.1% | 3.5% | 3.3% |
| Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander |
– | – | 0.5% | 1.0% |
| Other race | 0.4% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 1.6% |
| Two or more races | – | – | 5.5% | 7.3% |
Languages
Further information: Alaska Native languages
According to the 2011 American Community Survey, 83.4% of people over the age of five speak only English at home. About 3.5% speak Spanish at home. About 2.2% speak another Indo-European language at home and about 4.3% speak an Asian language at home.[citation needed] About 5.3% speak other languages at home.[46]The Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks claims that at least 20 Alaskan native languages exist and there are also some languages with different dialects.[47] Most of Alaska's native languages belong to either the Eskimo–Aleut or Na-Dene language families however some languages are thought to be isolates (e.g. Haida) or have not yet been classified (e.g. Tsimshianic).[47] As of 2014 nearly all of Alaska's native languages were classified as either threatened, shifting, moribund, nearly extinct, or dormant languages.[48]
A total of 5.2% of Alaskans speak one of the state's 20 indigenous languages,[49] known locally as "native languages".
In October 2014, the governor of Alaska signed a bill declaring the state's 20 indigenous languages as official languages.[50][51] This bill gave the languages symbolic recognition as official languages, though they have not been adopted for official use within the government. The 20 languages that were included in the bill are:
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