Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 81, established in 1910.
Nikolai’s average trip to work is 5 minutes, below both Alaska’s towns (21 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). No town among the 42 in Alaska we compare has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Nikolai. Nikolai’s trail network density is 1.5 miles per square mile, above both the Alaska town median (0.4) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Presentation of Our Lord Chapel is on the National Register of Historic Places. Nikolai has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 88 in 1950, 89 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and a map from 1954 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nikolai, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Nikolai.
Of the 42 Alaska towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Nikolai. 23% of adults report frequent mental distress locally. CDC measures, 32 in all: Nikolai beats Alaska on 1 and trails on 24.
| Nikolai | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 18% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Nikolai | AK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.7% | 7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 42.7% | 13.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top of the Kuskokwim SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 13 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 58% of U.S. communities. 54% of Nikolai’s expected losses from natural hazards come from cold waves, followed by avalanches at 21%.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Nikolai; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Nikolai residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alaska.
City in Alaska, United States
Nikolai (Edze Dochak' in Upper Kuskokwim) is a city in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. As of the 2020 census, Nikolai had a population of 89.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Nikolai has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.