SHH-h, 2001
Shishmaref’s story
125 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2001.
- 1901Shishmaref is settled
ShishmarefAK
Settled in 1901, this town now has 555 residents.
Photo: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve · CC BY 2.0
Population
555
2025 Census estimate · −3% since 2020
Median home value
$109K
Census ACS
Household income
$61K
median
Median age
33.0
years
Land area
7 sq mi
Is Shishmaref a good place to live?
Shishmaref’s mean commuting time is 4 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 Shishmaref. Shishmaref has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
555 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Shishmaref: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shishmaref, and how to reach them.
PowerAlaska Village Elec Coop65.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterShishmaref Water System3 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Shishmaref’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 code9977299772 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Shishmaref.
Natural hazards
Top of a very low hazard risk in Shishmaref: cold waves
Federal aid has come to Shishmaref households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2022. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 98% of U.S. communities. The national flood insurance program has paid 2 claims here since 2004. 87% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from cold waves, followed by inland flooding at 5%.
2risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland flooding
2
paid flood claims since 2004
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Schools
The schools Shishmaref’s kids attend
The public schools here belong to the Bering Strait School District. Its one school is below. 185 students attend Shishmaref’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shishmaref SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 185 | D |
NCES · EDFacts
Health
Shishmaref stands out in Alaska and nationally: a larger share of its adults sleep under 7 hours
Of 32 CDC measures, Shishmaref beats the Alaska average on 1 and trails it on 25. Shishmaref: just over a third of adults get no exercise outside work. Only one of the 42 Alaska towns we compare has a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Shishmaref. 36% of adults in Shishmaref smoke cigarettes; 17% have diabetes.
| Shishmaref | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 18% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 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 | Shishmaref | AK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.1% | 7% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 43.7% | 14.3% |
Norton Sound Regional Hospital
111.6 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
0% of Shishmaref is conserved land
1.5 miles of trail. Shishmaref’s trail density is 0.2 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 4,599 acres
1.5 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Shishmaref
15pages on Shishmaref
The big questions
Out and about
The story
About Shishmaref
City in Alaska, United States
Shishmaref ( SHISH-mə-ref; Inupiaq: Qigiqtaq, IPA: [qixiqtaq] or Kigiqtaq; Russian: Шишмарёв, IPA: [ʂɨʂmɐˈrʲɵf]) is a city in the Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. It is located on Sarichef Island in the Chukchi Sea, just north of the Bering Strait and five miles from the mainland. Shishmaref lies within the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. As of the 2020 census, Shishmaref had a population of 576.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1969
- Area
- 7.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 16 ft
- ZIP code
- 99772
- Area code
- 907
Questions about Shishmaref
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Shishmaref, AK a good place to live?
Shishmaref has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.