County outline
Where Aleutians East Borough is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 46.5% of Aleutians East Borough’s measured area and water for 53.5%. Its combined area converts to 38,891.7 square kilometers or approximately 9,610,358 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 6,985.155 | 18,091.468 | 4,470,499.2 |
| Water | 8,031.03 | 20,800.272 | 5,139,859.2 |
| Total | 15,016.185 | 38,891.741 | 9,610,358.4 |
How Aleutians East Borough compares
By original Census land area, Aleutians East Borough ranks #17 of 30 in Alaska and #44 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.933 times the Alaska county-equivalent median of 7,486.4 square miles. It accounts for 1.2% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Alaska ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Aleutians East Borough
The Census Bureau estimates that 3,479 people lived in Aleutians East Borough on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,998 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #20 of 30 in Alaska. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 3,419, the population has grown by 60 (+1.8%), compared with +0.5% for Alaska as a whole.
With 6,985.2 square miles of land, that is 0.5 people per square mile (0.19 per km²), placing Aleutians East Borough #3,195 nationally for density and #17 in Alaska. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Alaska median is 0.73. Put another way, there are about 1,285 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 3,425 | 3,416 | 3,418 | 3,443 | 3,464 | 3,479 |
| Change | — | −9 | +2 | +25 | +21 | +15 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Aleutians East Borough
5 incorporated places lie at least partly in Aleutians East Borough. Together they are home to 3,431 people (98.6%); the other 48 (1.4%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Akutan city, with 1,591 residents in the county. The county seat, Sand Point city, has 607 residents.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akutan city | 1,591 | +0.5% | 66 |
| King Cove city | 781 | +2.6% | 24.7 |
| Sand Point cityCounty seat | 607 | +4.5% | 8.013 |
| False Pass city | 398 | +0.8% | 25.1 |
| Cold Bay city | 54 | +1.9% | 52.5 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Aleutians East Borough. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Aleutians East Borough is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Aleutians East Borough, and each lies mostly inside the county.
9955399571995839961299661
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Aleutians East Borough
Aleutians East Borough shares a land border with 1 county equivalent. Lake and Peninsula Borough has 3.4 times its land area.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Aleutians East | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake and Peninsula Borough | 23,896.5 | 3.4× larger | Compare |
How big is Aleutians East Borough compared with U.S. states?
Aleutians East Borough has more land than 4 of the 50 states. It is about 1.1 times the land area of Hawaii (6,422.6 mi²), while New Jersey, the next larger state, has 1.1 times as much land (7,355 mi²). Alaska’s county land could hold about 82 areas the size of Aleutians East Borough.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 83.6 miles (134.5 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Aleutians East Borough?
Aleutians East Borough has more land than 3,178 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Aleutians East Borough at #18 nationally by total area, 26 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 53.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 52.3 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Aleutians East Borough in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #43 | Tooele County, Utah | 7,040.3 | Compare |
| #44 | Aleutians East Borough, Alaska | 6,985.2 | This county |
| #45 | Park County, Wyoming | 6,939 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 55.245044, -161.997477. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 18,091,468,627 m²; AWATER: 20,800,270,045 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Aleutians East Borough?
Aleutians East Borough, Alaska has 6,985.2 square miles (18,091.5 km²) of land and 8,031 square miles of water, for a total area of 15,016.2 square miles. It ranks #44 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Aleutians East Borough the largest county in Alaska?
No. Aleutians East Borough ranks #17 of 30 in Alaska by land area. The largest is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, with 145,767.5 square miles of land.
What counties border Aleutians East Borough?
Aleutians East Borough shares a land border with Lake and Peninsula Borough.
What is the population of Aleutians East Borough?
The Census Bureau estimates Aleutians East Borough had 3,479 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,998 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 0.5 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Aleutians East Borough?
The county seat of Aleutians East Borough is Sand Point.
What cities and towns are in Aleutians East Borough?
Aleutians East Borough has 5 incorporated places. The most populous are Akutan city, King Cove city, Sand Point city, False Pass city, and Cold Bay city; 48 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Aleutians East Borough part of a metropolitan area?
No. Aleutians East Borough is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Aleutians East Borough?
5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Aleutians East Borough, and 5 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Aleutians East Borough compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 4 of the 50 states, including Hawaii (6,422.6 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Aleutians East Borough?
The land measurement converts to approximately 4,470,499 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 9,610,358 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.