In 2022, Northwest Arctic Borough ranked as the third most government transfer-dependent county in Alaska, with 39.7% of total income coming from programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and income maintenance, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
In total, residents in Northwest Arctic Borough received $162.86 million, equivalent to $21,940 per capita.
For comparison, the average across Alaska was $188.77 million, or $11,542 per capita.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
Breaking down the contributions in Northwest Arctic Borough at the time, Social Security transfers made up $11.42 million, a 7% share of the total. Medicare transfers accounted for $13.53 million (8.3%), while Medicaid contributed $85.5 million (52.5%). Income maintenance programs, including assistance such as SNAP or TANF, added another $28.1 million, or 17.3% of the total.
With 9.2% of the population aged 65 and older, Northwest Arctic Borough has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Northwest Arctic Borough, excluding government transfers was $33,346, which is far below the county’s total income of $55,286, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Northwest Arctic Borough saw an increase in its government transfer dependency by 0.2%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnant or insufficient other sources of income.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans’ income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Northwest Arctic Borough, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from virtually none in 1970 to 39.7% (or $21,940 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | State Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kusilvak Census Area | 1 | 52.7% | 7% | 3% | 3.2% | 21.5% | 16% | $19,331 |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | 2 | 41.8% | 18% | 4.2% | 3.2% | 21.6% | 7.1% | $27,183 |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | 3 | 39.7% | 9.2% | 2.8% | 3.3% | 20.8% | 6.8% | $21,940 |
| Bethel Census Area | 4 | 37.9% | 8.6% | 2.8% | 2% | 17.1% | 9.1% | $18,453 |
| Wrangell City and Borough | 5 | 35.3% | 28.8% | 8.3% | 8.6% | 8.4% | 1.9% | $21,540 |
| Nome Census Area | 6 | 33.1% | 8.8% | 2.7% | 3.2% | 15.4% | 6.5% | $20,529 |
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | 7 | 30.5% | 20.7% | 6.4% | 5.4% | 7.8% | 2.9% | $16,210 |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | 8 | 28.9% | 26.2% | 5.7% | 4.4% | 10% | 2.3% | $19,323 |
| Petersburg Borough | 9 | 27.6% | 21.9% | 6.4% | 6.7% | 6.4% | 1.8% | $20,214 |
| Lake and Peninsula Borough | 10 | 27.3% | 13.9% | 3.1% | 4.1% | 10.1% | 5.1% | $18,355 |
| Denali Borough | 11 | 27.2% | 13.5% | 3% | 1.6% | 15.8% | 2.3% | $32,870 |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | 12 | 26.7% | 15.7% | 5.4% | 3.6% | 6.7% | 2.9% | $16,143 |
| Dillingham Census Area | 13 | 26.5% | 11.9% | 3.3% | 4.2% | 8% | 5.4% | $16,165 |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough | 14 | 25.4% | 20% | 6.7% | 5% | 4.4% | 2.2% | $15,546 |
| Haines Borough | 15 | 25.3% | 25.7% | 6% | 5.7% | 5.5% | 1.8% | $21,659 |
| Copper River Census Area | 16 | 23.8% | 20.1% | 7.1% | 1.8% | 4.8% | 2.9% | $14,302 |
| Yakutat City and Borough | 17 | 22.9% | 20.9% | 4.4% | 3.2% | 7.4% | 2% | $14,644 |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | 18 | 22.3% | 18.4% | 4.9% | 3.8% | 5.8% | 2.2% | $16,250 |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 19 | 20.1% | 13.7% | 4.8% | 3.3% | 1.6% | 2% | $11,653 |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | 20 | 19.8% | 12.7% | 3.5% | 2% | 5% | 1.8% | $13,388 |
| Kodiak Island Borough | 21 | 19.5% | 14% | 3.6% | 3.2% | 4.5% | 1.7% | $13,937 |
| Anchorage Municipality | 22 | 18.8% | 12.9% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 4.7% | 2% | $14,211 |
| Skagway Municipality | 23 | 18.4% | 19.5% | 3.7% | 3% | 2.6% | 0.8% | $13,898 |
| Sitka City and Borough | 24 | 17.8% | 18.3% | 4.1% | 4.2% | 3.2% | 1.2% | $14,256 |
| Chugach Census Area | 25 | 16% | 16.6% | 3.7% | 1.8% | 3.4% | 1.4% | $11,312 |
| Juneau City and Borough | 26 | 15.4% | 16.2% | 3.5% | 2.8% | 2.7% | 1.3% | $12,125 |
| North Slope Borough | 27 | 12.1% | 7.9% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 3.5% | 1.6% | $9,058 |
| Bristol Bay Borough | 28 | 9.6% | 18.2% | 2% | 1.2% | 2.8% | 1.1% | $15,040 |
| Aleutians West Census Area | 29 | 7.9% | 7.2% | 1.2% | 1% | 2.6% | 0.9% | $5,483 |
| Aleutians East Borough | 30 | 7% | 9.2% | 1.6% | 1% | 1.4% | 1.1% | $4,487 |
