Wrangell is a very small coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Alaska. With a population of 2,070 people and just one neighborhood, Wrangell is the 35th largest community in Alaska.
Unlike some cities where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Wrangell is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Wrangell is a city of managers, professionals, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in Wrangell who work in management occupations (17.18%), office and administrative support (8.22%), and sales jobs (6.87%).
One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 11.90% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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.
It is a fairly quiet city 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!) Wrangell 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. Wrangell has few renters and college students. But the biggest reason it is quieter in Wrangell than in most places in America, is that there are just simply fewer people living here. If you think trees make good neighbors, Wrangell may be for you.
One of the nice things about Wrangell 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.
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 10.00 minutes getting to work every day.
The percentage of adults in Wrangell who are college-educated is close to the national average for all communities of 21.84%: 18.02% of the adults in Wrangell have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.
The per capita income in Wrangell in 2022 was $35,421, which is lower middle income relative to Alaska, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $141,684 for a family of four. However, Wrangell contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Wrangell is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Wrangell home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Wrangell residents report their race to be White, followed by Native American. Important ancestries of people in Wrangell include German, English, Irish, Norwegian, and European.
The most common language spoken in Wrangell is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Native American languages.
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.
Real Estate
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 99.4% of the neighborhoods in 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.
In addition, vacant homes and apartments are a significant characteristic of this neighborhood. In fact, with 31.3% of the residential real estate vacant, the neighborhood claims the distinction of having a higher vacancy rate than 95.2% 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.
Length of Commute
Whether walking, biking, riding, or driving, the length of one's commute is an important factor for one's quality of life. The neighborhood stands out for its commute length, according to NeighborhoodScout's analysis. Residents of the neighborhood have the pleasure of having one of the shortest commutes to work of any neighborhood in America. 89.9% of the residents have a commute time from home to work (one way) of less than fifteen minutes. This is a higher proportion of residents enjoying a short trip to work than NeighborhoodScout found in 99.9% of U.S. neighborhoods. Less time commuting means more time for other things in life.
Occupations
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 97.5% of all American neighborhoods. This is truly a unique cultural characteristic of this neighborhood.
Furthermore, the neighborhood has a greater proportion of government workers living in it than 96.7% 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.
Modes of Transportation
More people in choose to walk to work each day (12.4%) than almost any neighborhood in America. If you are attracted to the idea of being able to walk to work, this neighborhood could be a good choice.
People
If you are planning to retire in Alaska, this neighborhood should be on your must-see list. For many reasons, may be considered a retiree's dream neighborhood. According to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis and metrics, it's peaceful and quiet, has above average safety from crime compared to other neighborhoods in Alaska, while also offering a diverse range of housing options. This, along with the vibrant mix of very educated seniors and other age groups who choose to live here, makes the neighborhood more retiree-friendly than 96.0% of neighborhoods in AK. If a Alaska retirement is in your future, this neighborhood should be one of the places you visit.
Diversity
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Native American and Norwegian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 21.8% of this neighborhood's residents have Native American ancestry and 9.5% have Norwegian ancestry.
is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 0.8% 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 96.7% of the neighborhoods in America.
There are two complementary measures for understanding the income of a neighborhood's residents: the average and the extremes. While a neighborhood may be relatively wealthy overall, it is equally important to understand the rate of people - particularly children - who are living at or below the federal poverty line, which is extremely low income. Some neighborhoods with a lower average income may actually have a lower childhood poverty rate than another with a higher average income, and this helps us understand the conditions and character of a neighborhood.
The neighbors in the neighborhood in Wrangell are lower-middle income, making it a below average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 64.7% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 24.8% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 75.4% of U.S. neighborhoods.
What we choose to do for a living reflects who we are. Each neighborhood has a different mix of occupations represented, and together these tell you about the neighborhood and help you understand if this neighborhood may fit your lifestyle.
In the neighborhood, 36.4% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is manufacturing and laborer occupations, with 26.9% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (21.3%), and 14.5% in government jobs, whether they are in local, state, or federal positions.
Languages
The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 95.4% of households. Some people also speak Spanish (2.2%).
Ethnicity / Ancestry
Culture is shared learned behavior. We learn it from our parents, their parents, our houses of worship, and much of our culture – our learned behavior – comes from our ancestors. That is why ancestry and ethnicity can be so interesting and important to understand: places with concentrations of people of one or more ancestries often express those shared learned behaviors and this gives each neighborhood its own culture. Even different neighborhoods in the same city can have drastically different cultures.
In the neighborhood in Wrangell, AK, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Native American (21.8%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (18.0%), and residents who report English roots (11.8%), and some of the residents are also of Irish ancestry (10.4%), along with some Norwegian ancestry residents (9.5%), 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 (89.9% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.
Here most residents (67.4%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also hop out the door and walk to work to get to work (12.4%) and 7.1% of residents also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors 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.
