Nome Census Area, Alaska

A census area in Alaska, ranked 10 of 30 by population.

Census AreaFIPS 02180

Within Alaska
Nome Census Area, highlighted, with the areas around it. Boundaries generalised from the 2025 Census cartographic boundary file; neighbour fills carry no data.

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Population
9,830
-195 (-1.9%) since 2020
Land area
22,970
square miles. A further 18.8% of the total area is water
Population density
0.43
people per square mile, computed rather than published
County seat
Not available
Nome Census Area has no county government.
Established
1980
45 years ago
Largest city
Nome city
Population 3,653.

Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; Wikidata (CC0), Wikidata. Retrieved 30 August 2026.

Satellite view

Aerial imagery of Nome Census Area with its boundary drawn on top. A map shows you the shape; this shows you what is inside it, and which side of the line a place falls on.

Aerial view of Nome Census Area, Alaska from the USGS National Map, with its boundary outlined
Imagery: USGS National Map, USGS Imagery Only, public domain, requested from USGS by your browser when you reach this point on the page, at 800 by 576 pixels. The boundary is the 2025 Census cartographic boundary file, reprojected to Web Mercator to match the imagery. You can also open the USGS National Map viewer.

Where Nome Census Area ranks

Position among the 30 boroughs and census areas of Alaska, and among all 3,144 US counties and county-equivalents. Computed from the figures on this page.

MeasureValueIn AlaskaNationally
Population9,83010th of 302,421st of 3,144
Land area22,970 sq mi9th of 309th of 3,144
Population density0.43 per sq mi20th of 303,124th of 3,144
Median household income$78,68119th of 30638th of 3,143

Full data for Nome Census Area

Every figure below is attributed to the Census Bureau product it came from, with the vintage of that product.
MeasureValueSource and vintage
Population9,830Vintage 2025 Population Estimates
Population in 202010,025Vintage 2025 Population Estimates
2020 estimates base?10,046Vintage 2025 Population Estimates
Land area22,970 sq mi2025 Gazetteer Files
Water area5,320 sq mi2025 Gazetteer Files
Total area28,290 sq mi2025 Gazetteer Files
Population density?0.43 per sq miComputed: Vintage 2025 estimates divided by 2025 Gazetteer land area
Median household income$78,681American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median home value$211,200American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median age29.4American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Households2,816American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Housing units4,102American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026. Population density is computed here, not published: it divides the Vintage 2025 population estimate by the 2025 Gazetteer land area, which are two different Census products. Retrieved 30 August 2026.

How the population changed

The Census Bureau publishes the components behind an estimate, not just the total. For the year to July 2025:

Births minus deaths
+85
174 births, 89 deaths
Net migration
-57
More people moved out than moved in.

Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026. Retrieved 30 August 2026.

The 3 areas bordering Nome Census Area

Ordered by the length of the border actually shared, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which no other county reference presents.

Bordering areaStateShared borderPopulation
Yukon-Koyukuk Census AreaAlaska241 mi5,028
Northwest Arctic BoroughAlaska227 mi7,095
Kusilvak Census AreaAlaska76 mi7,932

Source: US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.

All 30 boroughs and census areas of Alaska

Open the interactive Alaska county map, or jump straight to any of them.

Data on this page last rebuilt 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.