County outline
Where Northwest Arctic Borough is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 87.8% of Northwest Arctic Borough’s measured area and water for 12.2%. Its combined area converts to 105,204.7 square kilometers or approximately 25,996,659 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 35,672.305 | 92,390.846 | 22,830,275.2 |
| Water | 4,947.475 | 12,813.901 | 3,166,384 |
| Total | 40,619.78 | 105,204.747 | 25,996,659.2 |
How Northwest Arctic Borough compares
By original Census land area, Northwest Arctic Borough ranks #4 of 30 in Alaska and #4 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 4.765 times the Alaska county-equivalent median of 7,486.4 square miles. It accounts for 6.2% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Alaska ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Northwest Arctic Borough
The Census Bureau estimates that 7,095 people lived in Northwest Arctic Borough on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,724 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #14 of 30 in Alaska. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 7,794, the population has declined by 699 (−9%), compared with +0.5% for Alaska as a whole.
With 35,672.3 square miles of land, that is 0.2 people per square mile (0.077 per km²), placing Northwest Arctic Borough #3,215 nationally for density and #24 in Alaska. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Alaska median is 0.73. Put another way, there are about 3,218 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 7,797 | 7,582 | 7,385 | 7,299 | 7,150 | 7,095 |
| Change | — | −215 | −197 | −86 | −149 | −55 |
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 Northwest Arctic Borough
10 incorporated places lie at least partly in Northwest Arctic Borough. Together they are home to 6,347 people (89.5%); the other 748 (10.5%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Kotzebue city, with 2,876 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kotzebue cityCounty seat | 2,876 | −7.1% | 24.4 |
| Selawik city | 729 | −10.3% | 1.979 |
| Noorvik city | 621 | −10.3% | 0.922 |
| Buckland city | 496 | −10.3% | 0.715 |
| Kiana city | 408 | −10.1% | 0.188 |
| Kivalina city | 399 | −10.1% | 1.631 |
| Ambler city | 246 | −10.2% | 10.3 |
| Shungnak city | 245 | −10.3% | 8.036 |
| Kobuk city | 166 | −9.8% | 15.3 |
| Deering city | 161 | −10.1% | 5.01 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Northwest Arctic Borough. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Northwest Arctic 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
11 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Northwest Arctic Borough, and each lies mostly inside the county.
9972799736997499975099751997529976199763997709977399786
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 Northwest Arctic Borough
Northwest Arctic Borough shares a land border with 3 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 Nome Census Area (22,969.9 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Northwest Arctic Borough forms a block of 293,207.3 mi² of land, of which it holds 12.2%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Northwest Arctic | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | 145,767.5 | 4.1× larger | Compare |
| North Slope Borough | 88,797.6 | 2.5× larger | Compare |
| Nome Census Area | 22,969.9 | 1.6× smaller | Compare |
How big is Northwest Arctic Borough compared with U.S. states?
Northwest Arctic Borough has more land than 12 of the 50 states. It is about 1.2 times the land area of Maine (30,845.1 mi²), while Indiana, the next larger state, has 1 times as much land (35,825.2 mi²). Alaska’s county land could hold about 16 areas the size of Northwest Arctic Borough.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 188.9 miles (304 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 Northwest Arctic Borough?
Northwest Arctic Borough has more land than 3,218 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 Northwest Arctic Borough at #4 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 12.2%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 11 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 Northwest Arctic Borough in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #3 | Bethel Census Area, Alaska | 40,654.9 | Compare |
| #4 | Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska | 35,672.3 | This county |
| #5 | Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska | 24,839.3 | 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 67.004772, -160.022075. 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: 92,390,842,308 m²; AWATER: 12,813,899,695 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 Northwest Arctic Borough?
Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska has 35,672.3 square miles (92,390.8 km²) of land and 4,947.5 square miles of water, for a total area of 40,619.8 square miles. It ranks #4 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Northwest Arctic Borough the largest county in Alaska?
No. Northwest Arctic Borough ranks #4 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 Northwest Arctic Borough?
Northwest Arctic Borough shares a land border with Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, North Slope Borough, and Nome Census Area.
What is the population of Northwest Arctic Borough?
The Census Bureau estimates Northwest Arctic Borough had 7,095 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,724 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 0.2 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Northwest Arctic Borough?
The county seat of Northwest Arctic Borough is Kotzebue.
What cities and towns are in Northwest Arctic Borough?
Northwest Arctic Borough has 10 incorporated places. The most populous five are Kotzebue city, Selawik city, Noorvik city, Buckland city, and Kiana city; 748 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Northwest Arctic Borough part of a metropolitan area?
No. Northwest Arctic Borough is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Northwest Arctic Borough?
11 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Northwest Arctic Borough, and 11 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Northwest Arctic Borough compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 12 of the 50 states, including Maine (30,845.1 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Northwest Arctic Borough?
The land measurement converts to approximately 22,830,275 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 25,996,659 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.