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Unalakleet aerial 2010 (cropped)Photo: Dr. John Cloud, NOAA Central Library · Public domain
Town Hall · Unalakleet

Unalakleet spent more per resident in 2022 than 69% of similar cities

Unalakleet’s city government spent $1.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $2,475 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($183,000) are counted separately.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$1.7M
year to June 30, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$2,475
In 2022: $2,475, more than 69% of 67 similar cities
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of FY2022, reported
City staff, 2022
11
full-time · 21 part-time · March payroll $54,540

What stands out about how Unalakleet is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Spends more than most similar citiesIn 2022: $2,475 per resident, more than 69% of 67 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer45% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2022).A shared school districtShares Bering Strait School District with 6+ other towns.
Compared with similar places

$2,475 per resident in 2022: more than 69% of them

Unalakleet’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,475 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 67 Alaska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,751, and the middle half spent $992–$2,776. Unalakleet spent more than 69% of them.

Middle half of the group, $992–$2,776Median $1,751Unalakleet

Includes sewer and trash ($670,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
67

Alaska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Unalakleet itself left out).

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $2,475 per resident a year, or $6.78 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 39%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 32%From the state 23%Fees & charges 19%Utility sales 18%Interest, fines & other 7%Other taxes & licenses <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $16,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $1.9 million.
Over the years

No trend yet

Unalakleet reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2023, 2024 are estimates), so there is no trend yet.

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Unalakleet

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See kawerak.org/communities/unalakleet.html for Unalakleet’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Unalakleet yet.kawerak.org/communities/unalakleet.html ↗
Agendas

Unalakleet’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on kawerak.org/communities/unalakleet.html ↗.

Who works for Unalakleet

One full-time city employee for every 62 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (687).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Police2 + 7 pt
Water & other utilities5 + 1 pt
Administration & buildings3 + 1 pt
Sewer & trash0 + 6 pt
Roads & transportation0 + 5 pt
Other1 + 1 pt
11
full-time
21
part-time
$54,540
payroll for March 2022
$654,480
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$36,900
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
2
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Unalakleet had 16.0 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 39 of the 67 Alaska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 18.1: Unalakleet had fewer than 51% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Bering Strait School District

Unalakleet’s K–12 school district, shared with Brevig Mission, Diomede, Elim, Gambell, Golovin and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Unalakleet →
$50,455
per pupil · AK $21,070
1,783
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $50,455 per pupil, $26,508 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 7%State 48%Federal 45%

Alaska districts overall: 24% local, 55% state, 21% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Who represents Unalakleet

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Unalakleet.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: kawerak.org/communities/unalakleet.html ↗
  2. 2
    Alaska HouseState representatives
    Neal Foster
  3. 3
    Alaska SenateState senator
    Donny Olson
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Mike Dunleavy
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Nicholas J. Begich III
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Alaska
    Lisa MurkowskiDan Sullivan

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Unalakleet’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitekawerak.org/communities/unalakleet.html ↗

Questions about Unalakleet’s government

How much does Unalakleet spend per resident?

About $2,475 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,475 was more than 69% of 67 Alaska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

Who runs Unalakleet’s government?

See kawerak.org/communities/unalakleet.html for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Unalakleet yet.

How many people work for Unalakleet?

11 full-time and 21 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $54,540 (about $654,480 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Unalakleet in the state legislature?

State Senate District T (Donny Olson) and State House District 39 (Neal Foster). The House district also covers 26 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Unalakleet’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →