County outline
Where Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 48.3% of Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area’s measured area and water for 51.7%. Its combined area converts to 28,269.4 square kilometers or approximately 6,985,519 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 5,268.233 | 13,644.661 | 3,371,669.1 |
| Water | 5,646.64 | 14,624.73 | 3,613,849.6 |
| Total | 10,914.873 | 28,269.391 | 6,985,518.7 |
How Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area compares
By original Census land area, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area ranks #20 of 30 in Alaska and #72 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.704 times the Alaska county-equivalent median of 7,486.4 square miles. It accounts for 0.9% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Alaska ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area
The Census Bureau estimates that 5,777 people lived in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,826 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #16 of 30 in Alaska. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 5,758, the population has grown by 19 (+0.3%), compared with +0.5% for Alaska as a whole.
With 5,268.2 square miles of land, that is 1.1 people per square mile (0.42 per km²), placing Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area #3,139 nationally for density and #13 in Alaska. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Alaska median is 0.73. Put another way, there are about 584 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 5,745 | 5,716 | 5,650 | 5,703 | 5,736 | 5,777 |
| Change | — | −29 | −66 | +53 | +33 | +41 |
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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area
10 incorporated places lie at least partly in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area. Together they are home to 3,525 people (61%); the other 2,252 (39%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Craig city, with 1,062 residents in the county. By land, Thorne Bay city is the largest at 26.7 mi².
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craig city | 1,062 | +2.5% | 6.68 |
| Klawock city | 720 | 0% | 0.681 |
| Kake city | 544 | 0% | 7.696 |
| Thorne Bay city | 477 | 0% | 26.7 |
| Hydaburg city | 378 | −0.5% | 0.294 |
| Coffman Cove city | 127 | 0% | 10.9 |
| Whale Pass city | 88 | 0% | 19.9 |
| Port Alexander city | 74 | 0% | 3.94 |
| Kasaan city | 29 | 0% | 6.063 |
| Edna Bay city | 26 | 0% | 21.1 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area 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
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area; 10 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
998309983399836999019991899919999219992299923999259992699927
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area shares a land border with 3 county equivalents. It has more land than every one of them. The largest neighbor is Ketchikan Gateway Borough (4,857.1 mi²) and the smallest is Sitka City and Borough (2,870.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area forms a block of 15,897.3 mi² of land, of which it holds 33.1%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Prince of Wales-Hyder | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | 4,857.1 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Petersburg Borough | 2,901.6 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
| Sitka City and Borough | 2,870.3 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
How big is Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area compared with U.S. states?
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area has more land than 3 of the 50 states. It is about 1.1 times the land area of Connecticut (4,842.5 mi²), while Hawaii, the next larger state, has 1.2 times as much land (6,422.6 mi²). Alaska’s county land could hold about 108 areas the size of Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 72.6 miles (116.8 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area?
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area has more land than 3,150 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area at #24 nationally by total area, 48 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 51.7%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 50.6 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #71 | Natrona County, Wyoming | 5,340.5 | Compare |
| #72 | Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska | 5,268.2 | This county |
| #73 | Okanogan County, Washington | 5,266.2 | 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 55.682773, -133.162389. 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: 13,644,661,234 m²; AWATER: 14,624,729,822 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area?
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska has 5,268.2 square miles (13,644.7 km²) of land and 5,646.6 square miles of water, for a total area of 10,914.9 square miles. It ranks #72 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area the largest county in Alaska?
No. Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area ranks #20 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area?
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area shares a land border with Petersburg Borough, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, and Sitka City and Borough.
What is the population of Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area?
The Census Bureau estimates Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area had 5,777 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,826 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 1.1 people per square mile of land.
What cities and towns are in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area?
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area has 10 incorporated places. The most populous five are Craig city, Klawock city, Kake city, Thorne Bay city, and Hydaburg city; 2,252 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area part of a metropolitan area?
No. Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area?
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, and 10 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 3 of the 50 states, including Connecticut (4,842.5 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area?
The land measurement converts to approximately 3,371,669 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 6,985,519 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.