Haines is oldest community in Alaska

(Photo by Margaret Friedenauer)
(Photo by Margaret Friedenauer)

Haines has the oldest population in the state. That’s according to the Alaska Department of Labor, which released statistics for the aging population on Friday.

The Haines Borough has the highest median age in the state at 48.5. Southeast Alaska has the highest median age as a region, followed by the Gulf Coast region. The Northern Region, including Nome and Barrow, has the lowest median age at 29.8.

18 percent of Haines residents are age 65 and over. 62 percent are age 20 to 64, and 20 percent are 19 and under. Haines’ age demographics are most similar to Hoonah and Wrangell out of all the Southeast communities surveyed. Wrangell is the only other community in the state with 18 percent of residents 65 and older.

Skagway’s demographics are unique in Southeast. Almost three-fourths of Skagway residents are between ages 20 and 64. The municipality has the lowest percentage of people 19 and under in Southeast, at 16 percent. Only 13 percent are seniors age 65 and older. The median age in Skagway is six years younger than Haines, at 42.4.

Alaska as a whole is aging. The state’s population of seniors passed the 70,000 mark in 2014. The number of Alaskans age 65 and older increased by more than 3,000 since 2013. That group now comprises 10 percent of the state’s population. The state’s median age is 34.

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