Alaska›Bethel Census Area

MertarvikAK

The town, home to 12 people, lies in Alaska.

Census survey, 2020–24

Is Mertarvik a good place to live?

100% of households own their home in Mertarvik, against 69% in Alaska’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. Mertarvik has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

12 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Getting set up

Moving to Mertarvik: who provides what

Mertarvik is unincorporated, so Bethel Census Area and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerAlaska Village Elec Coop65.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4

Trash & county servicesBethel Census AreaBethel Census Area provides services here

SchoolsLower Kuskokwim School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES

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.gov

Who runs elections hereAbsentee and Petition OfficeState of Alaska; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Mertarvik.

Natural hazards

Natural hazards: very low risk in Mertarvik, mostly cold waves

Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 99% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Mertarvik, 88% come from cold waves and 6% from inland flooding. One declared disaster, in 2025, has brought federal aid to Mertarvik households.

1risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Cold wavesInland flooding

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageMertarvik’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery low risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters1 federal disaster · Paid out in Mertarvik Get ready7.5 events a year, on average · Ready for cold waves

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Schools

The schools Mertarvik’s kids attend

Its one school is below. Public schools: the Lower Kuskokwim School District. Mertarvik’s only public school teaches 82 students.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Mertarvik SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12	Grades PK–12	82	C⁻

Full pageMertarvik’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsLower Kuskokwim School District Every school1 school · Mertarvik School Questions“Are Mertarvik’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Health

Mertarvik stands out in Alaska and nationally: a larger share of its adults get no exercise outside work

No town among the 42 in Alaska we compare has a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Mertarvik. For adults here, the share who sleep under 7 hours is 44%. Among 42 Alaska towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who had a checkup this year than Mertarvik. This Alaska town does better than the Alaska average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 27.

	Mertarvik	Alaska towns	U.S. towns
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)	38%	18%	19%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	38%	16%	14%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)	24%	16%	17%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	22%	13%	14%