Skagway Demographics & Workforce

Skagway's year round population is 862 (2000 US Census) although, the
summer population swells to around 2,500 with seasonal business owners and
their employees. The median age of Skagway is 39 years old and accurately
describes the youth and vibrancy of the community.

The community is evenly divided between males and females and provides for
a strong family based environment. There is a large number of children under 19
(21%) of the population and they live in a community which looks after its kids.
The Skagway School reports a 0% drop-out rate amongst its 105 students and
often rates as one of the highest ranked school districts in the state of Alaska.

The population is predominately white (92%) with a Native American/Native
Alaskan population of 5%. Skagway is a well educated community with 90%
having graduated high school or higher. The population is relatively affluent with
3.7% being reported as below the poverty level.

It is difficult to determine the exact number of people working in Skagway, either
in the summer or in the winter. Estimates include 556 year round residents plus
anything up to an additional 1500 -2000 in the busy summer season.

The community has a large pool of willing and very able personnel with a broad
range of work skills and experience. Employment numbers are constantly
increasing year after year. It is a tribute not only to Skagway's strong summer
economy but to its ever burgeoning winter economy. This also looks as if it will
increase in the near future with the possibility of a new ore terminal being built to
accommodate the expanding base metal mining occurring in the Yukon. Once
this goes into operation Skagway will be once again developing a solid
foundation for a thriving winter economy.

The 2000 US Census (below) indicates the industries in which the year round
residents work but does not include percentages for the summer season.

Industry

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining

0.4

Construction

14.5

Wholesale trade

1.1

Retail trade

14.3

Transportation and warehousing, and utilities

24.0

Finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing

2.9

Information

1.3

Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and
waste management services

5.5

Educational, health and social services

10.9

Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food
services

15.6

Other services (except public administration)

2.7

Public Administration

6.7

Manufacturing

0.0

LOOKING FOR WORK?

A good place to start researching
about work in Alaska is to visit the
Department of Labor web page
called "Finding Work in Alaska".

It is a useful guide to begin your
search for work in Alaska.