Drying walrus hide, 1929
Diomede’s story
146 years in pictures
Census counts: 40 in 1880, a peak of 178 in 1990, 83 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1929.
- 1880Diomede is settled
DiomedeAK
This town of 81 people was settled in 1880.
Photo: Walter Holt Rose · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
81
2025 Census estimate · −2.4% since 2020
Median age
27.2
years
Land area
3 sq mi
Settled
1880
146 years ago
Is Diomede a good place to live?
93% of residents live below the poverty line in Diomede, against 8.8% in Alaska’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Among 42 Alaska towns, just 2 have a lower share of homes lived in by their owners than Diomede. Diomede’s trail network density is 1.0 miles per square mile, where Alaska’s towns sit at 0.4 and U.S. towns at 0.4. The biggest park or preserve is Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, at 563 acres. Diomede has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
81 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Diomede.
Natural hazards
Very low risk in Diomede, with cold waves at the top
2risk score of 100
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 98% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Diomede after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2022.
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland flooding
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Schools
The schools Diomede’s kids attend
Its one school is below. The public schools here belong to the Bering Strait School District.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diomede SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 22 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Health
A larger share of adults worry about having enough food in Diomede than in most of Alaska or the rest of the country
No town among the 42 in Alaska we compare has a higher share of adults who have obesity than Diomede. Diomede: 23% of adults report frequent mental distress. Nearly two in five adults in Diomede smoke cigarettes; 18% have diabetes.
| Diomede | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 18% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 8.8% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Alaska
1 better6 too close to call25 worse
| What stands out | Diomede | AK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.7% | 7% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 44.9% | 14.3% |
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,539 acres
2.4 mi
of trails · 1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge | — | 563 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Diomede
12pages on Diomede
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Diomede: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Diomede, and how to reach them.
PowerAlaska Village Elec Coop65.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Diomede’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Alaska you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereAbsentee and Petition OfficeState of Alaska; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code9976299762 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
About Diomede
City in northwest Alaska
Diomede (Inupiaq: Iŋaliq; Russian: Диомид, romanized: Diomid) is an incorporated island city in the U.S. state of Alaska. Little Diomede Island is the smaller of the two Diomede Islands that are located in the middle of the Bering Strait; the larger of the two islands, Big Diomede Island, is part of Russia. As of 2020, the population of Diomede is 82. Diomede's native name, Iŋaliq, means "the other one" or "the one over there".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1970
- Area
- 2.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 95 ft
- Area code
- 907
Questions about Diomede
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Diomede, AK a good place to live?
Diomede has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Diomede is in here
Say something about Diomede.
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