Alaska, 1917
Wainwright’s story
136 years in pictures
Census counts: 72 in 1890, a low of 72 in 1890, 628 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and a map from 1955 on.
- 1890Wainwright is settled
WainwrightAK
The town, settled in 1890, counts 586 residents.
Photo: Thester11 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
586
2025 Census estimate · −6.5% since 2020
Median home value
$117K
Census ACS
Household income
$94K
median
Median age
28.4
years
Land area
43 sq mi
Is Wainwright a good place to live?
Wainwright’s mean commuting time is 6 minutes, against 21 minutes in Alaska’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Of the 42 Alaska towns we compare, none has a higher share of children under 18 than Wainwright. Wainwright has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
586 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 Wainwright: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wainwright, and how to reach them.
PowerBarrow Utils & Elec CoopEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterNsbu - Wainwright water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet1 providers84% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Wainwright’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 code9978299782 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 Wainwright.
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: very low risk in Wainwright, mostly cold waves
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 99% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 83% of Wainwright’s expected hazard losses down to cold waves, and 8% to inland flooding.
1risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Schools
The schools Wainwright’s kids attend
The public schools here belong to the North Slope Borough School District. Its one school is below. 138 students attend Wainwright’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alak SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 138 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts
Health
A larger share of adults in Wainwright have obesity than in the typical Alaska or U.S. town
In Wainwright, 43% of adults sleep under 7 hours. Of the 42 Alaska towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Wainwright. Against the Alaska average, Wainwright comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 22.
| Wainwright | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 16% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Alaska
1 better9 too close to call22 worse
| What stands out | Wainwright | AK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.6% | 7% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 35.7% | 14.3% |
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
0% of Wainwright is conserved land
2.2 miles of trail. Only 4 of the 42 Alaska towns we compare have a lower trail network density than Wainwright.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 17,720 acres
2.2 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Wainwright
15pages on Wainwright
The big questions
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Wainwright; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Wainwright residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Alaska.
About Wainwright
City in Alaska, United States
Wainwright (; Ulġuniq in Iñupiaq), also known as Ulguniq or Kuuk, is a city in North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 628, making it the third largest city in the North Slope Borough, up from 556 in 2010. The community was named after Wainwright Lagoon, which in turn was named after Lt. John Wainwright, an officer under Capt. F. W. Beechey, who were the first non-native people to travel to the lagoon in 1826. An unincorporated area known as Wainwright Inlet by 1890, Wainwright was founded as an incorporated municipality in 1962.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1904
- Area
- 43 sq mi
- Elevation
- 26 ft
- ZIP code
- 99782
- Area code
- 99782
Questions about Wainwright
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Wainwright, AK a good place to live?
Wainwright has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.