Old Harbor is a tiny coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Alaska. With a population of 207 people and just one neighborhood, Old Harbor is the 63rd largest community in Alaska.
Old Harbor real estate is some of the most expensive in Alaska, although Old Harbor house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.
Because occupations involving physical labor dominate the local economy, Old Harbor is generally considered to be a blue-collar town. 43.40% of the Old Harbor workforce is employed in blue-collar occupations, compared to the national average of 27.7%. Overall, Old Harbor is a city of sales and office workers, transportation and shipping workers, and production and manufacturing workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Old Harbor who work in office and administrative support (41.51%), farm management occupations (9.43%), and management occupations (7.55%).
A relatively large number of people in Old Harbor telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 10.42% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
The overall crime rate in Old Harbor is one of the lowest in the US. This makes it one of the safer places to live in the country in terms of crime.
The city is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, Old Harbor has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes Old Harbor a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.
Old Harbor is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.
Residents of the city have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 7.50 minutes getting to work every day.
As is often the case in a small city, Old Harbor doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.
In Old Harbor, just 6.12% of people over 25 hold a college degree, which is very low compared to the rest of the nation, whereas the average among all cities is 21.84%.
The per capita income in Old Harbor in 2022 was $19,207, which is low income relative to Alaska and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $76,828 for a family of four. However, Old Harbor contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Old Harbor also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 55.38% of its population below the federal poverty line.
Old Harbor is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Old Harbor home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Old Harbor residents report their race to be Native American, followed by White. Important ancestries of people in Old Harbor include German, Norwegian, Russian, Swedish, and English.
The most common language spoken in Old Harbor is English. Other important languages spoken here include Pacific Island languages and Polish.
The way a neighborhood looks and feels when you walk or drive around it, from its setting, its buildings, and its flavor, can make all the difference. This neighborhood has some really cool things about the way it looks and feels as revealed by NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research. This might include anything from the housing stock to the types of households living here to how people get around.
Unpopulated, and rural, the neighborhood is one of the least crowded neighborhoods in all of America. If you like open space, no traffic, and lots of room, this neighborhood may be just what you are looking for. According to NeighborhoodScout's leading research, this neighborhood is less densely populated than 99.6% of the neighborhoods in America. Do you like a coastal setting? If so, this neighborhood may be to your liking. The neighborhood is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Often such coastal places have amenities and recreational activities on the waterfront that are attractive to residents and visitors alike. In addition to being coastal, is a very nautical neighborhood, meaning that it is somewhat historic, walkable, densely populated and on the water. This gives the neighborhood a very nautical feel, with some seaside and shipping feel, which some may really enjoy the sights and sounds of. One of the notable things about is that it is one of the quietest neighborhoods in America, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis and quantitative rating of quietness. When you are here, you will find it to be very quiet. If quiet and peaceful are your cup of tea, you may have found a great place for you.
In addition, despite all of the residential real estate here in the neighborhood, NeighborhoodScout has discovered that much of it is vacant. In resort or second-home vacation areas, this naturally occurs because homes and apartments are seasonally occupied, and empty for a portion of the year. In non-vacation or resort areas, however, this can be an indicator of property abandonment or a weak real estate market. The vacancy rate here is 47.7%, which is higher than 98.6% of all U.S. neighborhoods.
The government often provides some of the more stable jobs in the economy. From local, to state, to federal government workers, the government can also be a major employer. What NeighborhoodScout's analysis revealed, is that the neighborhood in particular stands out when compared nationally for the proportion of its working residents who are employed by the government. At 22.9% of its workforce, this neighborhood has a greater concentration of government workers than 99.5% of U.S. neighborhoods.
Furthermore, each year, fewer and fewer Americans make their living as farmers, foresters, or fishers. But the neighborhood truly stands out among U.S. neighborhoods. According to exclusive NeighborhoodScout analysis, this neighborhood has a greater proportion of farmers, foresters, or fishers than 99.0% of all American neighborhoods. This is truly a unique cultural characteristic of this neighborhood.
Our research shows that more people carpool to work here in the (28.2%) than in 98.3% of the neighborhoods in America.
Also, in the neighborhood, walking to work is a real option for many. In fact, NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research reveals walking to and from work is the chosen way to commute for 13.2% of residents here. This is a higher proportion of walking commuters than we found in 96.5% of American neighborhoods. Get ready to put on your walking shoes if you move here!
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Danish and Native American ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 7.3% of this neighborhood's residents have Danish ancestry and 28.0% have Native American ancestry.
is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 5.8% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Native American languages at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 99.7% of the neighborhoods in America.
How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.
The neighbors in the neighborhood in Old Harbor are middle-income, making it a moderate income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 51.9% of the neighborhoods in America. With 23.1% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 73.8% of U.S. neighborhoods.
A neighborhood is far different if it is dominated by enlisted military personnel rather than people who earn their living by farming. It is also different if most of the neighbors are clerical support or managers. What is wonderful is the sheer diversity of neighborhoods, allowing you to find the type that fits your lifestyle and aspirations.
In the neighborhood, 39.9% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is government jobs, whether they are in local, state, or federal positions, with 22.9% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (21.1%), and 14.7% in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants.
The languages spoken by people in this neighborhood are diverse. These are tabulated as the languages people preferentially speak when they are at home with their families. The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 89.5% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Native American languages, Spanish and Russian.
Culture is the shared learned behavior of peoples. Undeniably, different ethnicities and ancestries have different cultural traditions, and as a result, neighborhoods with concentrations of residents of one or another ethnicities or ancestries will express those cultures. It is what makes the North End in Boston so fun to visit for the Italian restaurants, bakeries, culture, and charm, and similarly, why people enjoy visiting Chinatown in San Francisco.
In the neighborhood in Old Harbor, AK, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Native American (28.0%). There are also a number of people of Swedish ancestry (7.7%), and residents who report German roots (7.6%), and some of the residents are also of Danish ancestry (7.3%), along with some Norwegian ancestry residents (7.0%), among others.
Even if your neighborhood is walkable, you may still have to drive to your place of work. Some neighborhoods are located where many can get to work in just a few minutes, while others are located such that most residents have a long and arduous commute. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (55.3% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.
Here most residents (42.9%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (28.2%) and 13.2% of residents also hop out the door and walk to work for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.