County outline
Where North Slope Borough is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 93.6% of North Slope Borough’s measured area and water for 6.4%. Its combined area converts to 245,603.2 square kilometers or approximately 60,689,871 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 88,797.565 | 229,984.638 | 56,830,441.6 |
| Water | 6,030.359 | 15,618.558 | 3,859,429.8 |
| Total | 94,827.924 | 245,603.196 | 60,689,871.4 |
How North Slope Borough compares
By original Census land area, North Slope Borough ranks #2 of 30 in Alaska and #2 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 11.861 times the Alaska county-equivalent median of 7,486.4 square miles. It accounts for 15.5% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Alaska ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of North Slope Borough
The Census Bureau estimates that 10,582 people lived in North Slope Borough on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,444 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #9 of 30 in Alaska. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 11,032, the population has declined by 450 (−4.1%), compared with +0.5% for Alaska as a whole.
With 88,797.6 square miles of land, that is 0.12 people per square mile (0.046 per km²), placing North Slope Borough #3,217 nationally for density and #26 in Alaska. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Alaska median is 0.73. Put another way, there are about 5,370 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 11,000 | 10,971 | 10,759 | 10,592 | 10,618 | 10,582 |
| Change | — | −29 | −212 | −167 | +26 | −36 |
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 North Slope Borough
7 incorporated places lie at least partly in North Slope Borough. Together they are home to 7,411 people (70%); the other 3,171 (30%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Utqiagvik city, with 4,640 residents in the county. By land, Atqasuk city is the largest at 39.1 mi².
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utqiagvik city | 4,640 | −5.9% | 18.8 |
| Point Hope city | 776 | −6.3% | 5.019 |
| Wainwright city | 586 | −6.5% | 10.3 |
| Nuiqsut city | 481 | −6.1% | 8.634 |
| Anaktuvuk Pass city | 401 | −6.1% | 5.177 |
| Kaktovik city | 269 | −5.9% | 0.774 |
| Atqasuk city | 258 | −5.8% | 39.1 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside North Slope Borough. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
North Slope 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
10 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in North Slope Borough, and each lies mostly inside the county.
99519997219972399734997479975999766997829978999791
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 North Slope Borough
North Slope Borough shares a land border with 2 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area (145,767.5 mi²) and the smallest is Northwest Arctic Borough (35,672.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, North Slope Borough forms a block of 270,237.4 mi² of land, of which it holds 32.9%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. North Slope | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | 145,767.5 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | 35,672.3 | 2.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is North Slope Borough compared with U.S. states?
North Slope Borough has more land than 40 of the 50 states. It is about 1.1 times the land area of Idaho (82,645.5 mi²), while Oregon, the next larger state, has 1.1 times as much land (95,996.9 mi²). Alaska’s county land could hold about 6.4 areas the size of North Slope Borough.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 298 miles (479.6 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 North Slope Borough?
North Slope Borough has more land than 3,220 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 North Slope Borough at #2 nationally by total area, the same position as its land rank. Changing the area definition does not change its position in this release.
Its water share is 6.4%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 5.2 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 North Slope Borough in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska | 145,767.5 | Compare |
| #2 | North Slope Borough, Alaska | 88,797.6 | This county |
| #3 | Bethel Census Area, Alaska | 40,654.9 | 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 69.449343, -153.472830. 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: 229,984,627,391 m²; AWATER: 15,618,557,607 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 North Slope Borough?
North Slope Borough, Alaska has 88,797.6 square miles (229,984.6 km²) of land and 6,030.4 square miles of water, for a total area of 94,827.9 square miles. It ranks #2 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is North Slope Borough the largest county in Alaska?
No. North Slope Borough ranks #2 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 North Slope Borough?
North Slope Borough shares a land border with Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area and Northwest Arctic Borough.
What is the population of North Slope Borough?
The Census Bureau estimates North Slope Borough had 10,582 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,444 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 0.12 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of North Slope Borough?
The county seat of North Slope Borough is Utqiagvik.
What cities and towns are in North Slope Borough?
North Slope Borough has 7 incorporated places. The most populous five are Utqiagvik city, Point Hope city, Wainwright city, Nuiqsut city, and Anaktuvuk Pass city; 3,171 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is North Slope Borough part of a metropolitan area?
No. North Slope Borough is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in North Slope Borough?
10 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in North Slope Borough, and 10 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does North Slope Borough compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 40 of the 50 states, including Idaho (82,645.5 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in North Slope Borough?
The land measurement converts to approximately 56,830,442 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 60,689,871 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.