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 210 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.
Old Harbor is a blue-collar town, with 39.29% of people working in blue-collar occupations, while the average in America is just 27.7%. Overall, Old Harbor is a city of sales and office workers, service providers, and transportation and shipping workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Old Harbor who work in office and administrative support (28.57%), maintenance occupations (12.50%), and farm management occupations (8.93%).
A relatively large number of people in Old Harbor telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 9.26% 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. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.
Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Old Harbor spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 7.50 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be.
Being a small city, Old Harbor does not have a public transit system used by locals to get to and from work.
In Old Harbor, just 7.61% 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 $21,641, which is low income relative to Alaska and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $86,564 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 44.52% of its population below the federal poverty line.
Old Harbor is an extremely 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, Danish, English, and Scots-Irish.
The most common language spoken in Old Harbor is English. Other important languages spoken here include Pacific Island languages and Polish.
When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.
Real Estate
This neighborhood has wide open spaces, few people, and lots of space to stretch out. If you like locations that fit that description, you may like this neighborhood. Based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis, with only 0 people per square mile living here, this neighborhood is less crowded than 99.6% of America. is a neighborhood that is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Many times, such places have amenities that bring locals and visitors to the waterfront for recreational activities or to check out the scenery. In some densely populated areas that are less financially well-off, the neighborhood waterfront can be relatively industrial and less open to recreation. 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, vacant homes and apartments are a significant characteristic of this neighborhood. In fact, with 47.4% of the residential real estate vacant, the neighborhood claims the distinction of having a higher vacancy rate than 98.5% of the neighborhoods in America. This can either be because much of the property is seasonally occupied, like in many vacation areas, or that much of the real estate is more permanently abandoned.
Occupations
The neighborhood has a greater proportion of government workers living in it than 99.1% of the neighborhoods in America, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis. This is a unique feature of this neighborhood, and one that shapes its character.
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 98.4% of all American neighborhoods. This is truly a unique cultural characteristic of this neighborhood.
Modes of Transportation
Our research shows that more people carpool to work here in the (24.3%) than in 96.7% of the neighborhoods in America.
People
If you're looking for a great spot to raise a family, then look no further than the neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's analysis found that the combination of good quality public schools, above-average safety from crime, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family homes, help make this neighborhood among the top 11.9% of family-friendly neighborhoods across the state of Alaska. In addition, there are a high proportion of other families with school-aged children living here, making it easy for parents and their children to socialize and develop a sense of community support. In addition, families here highly value education, as is reflected by the strength of the local schools, in part due to the educational attainment of the parents here, who vote in support of the public schools.
Diversity
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, 8.5% of this neighborhood's residents have Danish ancestry and 24.8% 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 upper-middle income, making it an above average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 61.3% of the neighborhoods in America. With 17.4% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 64.5% 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, 42.1% 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 20.8% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (19.2%), and 19.1% in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants.
Languages
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 92.3% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Native American languages, Russian and Spanish.
Ethnicity / Ancestry
Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.
In the neighborhood in Old Harbor, AK, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Native American (24.8%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (9.3%), and residents who report Danish roots (8.5%), and some of the residents are also of Swedish ancestry (7.7%), along with some Norwegian ancestry residents (5.4%), among others.
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (52.7% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.
Here most residents (48.4%) 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 (24.3%) and 7.9% 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.
