Big Lake is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Alaska. With a population of 3,833 people and two associated neighborhoods, Big Lake is the 20th largest community in Alaska.

A relatively large number of people in Big Lake telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 22.88% 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.

Another notable thing is that Big Lake is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Big Lake’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.

It is a fairly quiet town because there are relatively few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. (Children, for example, often can't help themselves from being noisy, and being parents ourselves, we know!) Big Lake has relatively few families with children living at home, and is quieter because of it. Renters and college students, for their own reasons, can also be noisy. Big Lake has few renters and college students. But the biggest reason it is quieter in Big Lake than in most places in America, is that there are just simply fewer people living here. If you think trees make good neighbors, Big Lake may be for you.

One of the nice things about Big Lake is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

In Big Lake, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 36.37 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average.

Big Lake is a small town, and as such doesn't have a public transit system that people use to get to and from their jobs every day.

In terms of college education, Big Lake is nearly on par with the US average for all cities of 21.84%: 19.73% of adults 25 and older in Big Lake have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.

The per capita income in Big Lake in 2022 was $40,697, which is upper middle income relative to Alaska and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $162,788 for a family of four. However, Big Lake contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Big Lake is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Big Lake home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Big Lake residents report their race to be White, followed by Native American. Important ancestries of people in Big Lake include German, Irish, English, Scots-Irish, and Swedish.

The most common language spoken in Big Lake is English. Other important languages spoken here include Italian and Spanish.