Ketchikan Gateway County

Note: In Alaska, “Ketchikan Gateway County” is the Ketchikan Gateway Borough (county-equivalent).

Population

• 2020 Census: 13,948
• 2023 estimate (PEP): ~13,8k

Age

• Median age: ~40.5 years
• Under 18: ~23%
• 18–64: ~62%
• 65+: ~15%

Gender

• Male: ~53%
• Female: ~47%

Race and Hispanic origin (race alone or in combination; Hispanic can be any race)

• White: ~63%
• American Indian/Alaska Native: ~18%
• Asian: ~8%
• Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~2%
• Black/African American: ~1%
• Two or more races: ~13%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): ~8%

Households and housing

• Total households: ~5,5k
• Average household size: ~2.5
• Family households: ~61% (married-couple families ~45%)
• Nonfamily households: ~39%
• Housing units: ~6.2k
• Occupied housing tenure: ~58% owner-occupied, ~42% renter-occupied

Key insights

• Stable population around 14k with a modest male majority.
• Notable Alaska Native and Asian (including Filipino) presence relative to national averages.
• Household size near the U.S. average with a balanced owner/renter mix.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2020 Decennial Census; 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year; 2023 Population Estimates Program).

• Population base: Ketchikan Gateway Borough ~14,000 residents; ~10,800 are adults (18+).
• Estimated email users: ~9,900 adult users (based on ~92% adult email adoption).
• Age distribution of email users:
  • 18–34: 28%
  • 35–64: 54%
  • 65+: 18%
• Gender split among email users: ~51% male, ~49% female (mirrors local population balance).
• Digital access:
  • ~87% of households have a broadband subscription.
  • ~93% of households have a computer.
  • ~92% of adults have a smartphone; ~13% are smartphone‑only internet users.
  • In-town service includes cable broadband (with fiber backhaul) and LTE/5G; typical residential tiers range from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps. Outlying areas rely more on fixed wireless or satellite, which lowers speeds and raises latency.
• Local density/connectivity context:
  • Population density is low (~4 people per square mile), but most residents live in and around Ketchikan city, where fiber‑backed cable and strong cellular coverage concentrate. This urban cluster drives higher email and online service usage, while remote parts of the borough show lower subscription and heavier mobile/satellite dependence.

Mobile phone usage in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska — 2024 snapshot

Resident base and user estimates

• Population baseline: 13,948 residents (2020 Census). Adults comprise roughly three-quarters of the population, yielding an adult base near 10,500–11,000.
• Estimated resident smartphone users: 9,200–9,800 (about 85–90% of adults, reflecting slightly lower adoption among older cohorts and higher adoption among working-age residents).
• Estimated active mobile lines (personal + work lines carried by residents): 11,500–13,000. Lines briefly exceed 20,000 on peak cruise days due to visitors and seasonal workers, a pronounced seasonal surge not seen in most Alaska boroughs.

Demographic backdrop most relevant to mobile adoption

• Age: Older than the state overall, with a larger 45–64 and 65+ share. This skews mobile adoption marginally lower than Alaska’s largest urban areas, but still high due to near-universal handset use among working-age adults.
• Income and work patterns: Median household income is modestly below the statewide median, with a sizable share of employment in tourism, fishing, maritime, retail, and public sector roles. That mix increases prepaid and month-to-month plans during May–September and raises bring-your-own-device usage for seasonal staff.
• Household structure: A high share of households are concentrated along the Revillagigedo Island road corridor (North/South Tongass and Ketchikan/Saxman), which improves signal reliability for most residents compared with truly remote Alaska communities, and reduces smartphone-only internet reliance versus rural interior/western boroughs.

Digital infrastructure and coverage

• Carriers present: AT&T (including FirstNet Band 14 for public safety), GCI, and Verizon provide 4G LTE across populated corridors; T-Mobile service is limited and often reliant on roaming.
• 5G status: 5G availability lags Anchorage/Fairbanks/Juneau. Where present, it is primarily low-band coverage with LTE remaining the dominant experience. This is a meaningful difference from Alaska’s largest metros, where 5G is now common.
• Backhaul and core connectivity: Ketchikan is tied into Southeast Alaska’s subsea fiber routes that interconnect to Juneau and to Prince Rupert, BC, providing better backhaul resilience than many roadless western and northern communities that depend heavily on microwave. That fiber presence supports higher mobile capacity and faster recovery from weather-driven outages.
• Coverage geography: Strong multi-carrier LTE along the Tongass Highway corridor (Ketchikan–Saxman–airport/Gravina approaches). Coverage thins quickly off the road system, across mountainous terrain, and on outer parts of Revillagigedo/Gravina—gaps remain for off-grid cabins, marine approaches, and hiking areas. Marine traffic near cruise berths and the airport is well covered.
• Public safety and redundancy: FirstNet adoption by local agencies improves priority access during visitor surges and storms. The presence of multiple fiber paths in Southeast offers better redundancy than many rural Alaska regions that are single-threaded.

How Ketchikan differs from Alaska-wide patterns

• Seasonal demand spikes are extreme: Peak-day mobile traffic routinely exceeds the resident base due to cruise ships and seasonal labor. This seasonality is among the most pronounced in the state and drives targeted small-cell and sector densification around berths and downtown.
• 5G rollout is behind top Alaska metros: Ketchikan relies more on mature LTE capacity, while Anchorage/Fairbanks/Juneau have broader 5G footprints and mid-band deployments.
• Lower smartphone-only dependency: Because cable and wireline broadband are widely available along the populated corridor, a smaller share of households relies on smartphones as their only internet compared with rural western/northern boroughs. Mobile is the primary connection on the go, not the sole connection at home.
• Better backhaul than many remote areas: Multiple subsea fiber routes in Southeast give Ketchikan more robust backhaul than inland bush communities, improving median mobile speeds and resilience but still subject to coastal weather and power events.
• Plan mix reflects tourism: A higher seasonal share of prepaid and short-term lines than the statewide norm, with noticeable churn around May–September.

Practical implications

• Capacity planning must be seasonal: Networks that feel overbuilt in winter can be stressed downtown and at berths in summer afternoons; QoS and small-cell infill matter more here than in non-tourism boroughs.
• Coverage trade-offs are terrain-driven: Excellent service where people live and work along the road corridor; rapid falloff in backcountry and marine approaches suggests continued need for offline maps, satellite messengers, or marine VHF outside core zones.
• Enterprise and public safety users benefit from FirstNet and fiber-backed LTE, while consumers will see LTE as the default experience with limited 5G gains until further mid-band spectrum is deployed locally.

Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK — Social Media Snapshot (2025)

Headline user stats

• Population: ~13.7k residents (U.S. Census Bureau 2023 est.).
• Internet access: High broadband/smartphone adoption consistent with Alaska urban hubs; household broadband in Alaska is mid–high 80% (ACS), with Ketchikan’s town-centered profile close to the upper end.
• Adults on at least one social platform: ~70–75% of residents 18+ (≈7–8k people), based on Pew national rates applied to the borough.
• Daily social users: ~50–55% of adults (≈5–6k).

Most‑used platforms (adults, estimated share using each) Note: County‑level platform shares aren’t published; figures reflect Pew Research Center 2023–2024 U.S. adult usage, adjusted slightly for Ketchikan’s broadband profile.

• YouTube: ~80–85%
• Facebook: ~65–70%
• Instagram: ~45–50%
• TikTok: ~30–35%
• Snapchat: ~25–30%
• Pinterest: ~30–35%
• WhatsApp: ~20–25%
• LinkedIn: ~28–32% (higher among working‑age professionals)
• X (Twitter): ~20–22%
• Reddit: ~20–22%

Age groups (behavioral patterns)

• Teens (13–17): Heavy on YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat; short‑form video, music, gaming, and school/community clips dominate; after‑school and late‑evening peaks.
• 18–29: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube lead; Snapchat for messaging; Facebook mainly for events/groups and family.
• 30–49: Facebook and YouTube core; Instagram rising; TikTok used for entertainment/how‑to; LinkedIn relevant for managers/pros.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Instagram modest; TikTok adoption growing but selective (travel, cooking, DIY).
• 65+: Facebook for community/news and family; YouTube for how‑to and long‑form; minimal use of Snapchat/TikTok.

Gender breakdown

• Resident base: Slightly more male than female in the borough (~52% male, ~48% female; Census est.).
• Platform skews among users (national patterns that hold locally):
  • Female‑skew: Pinterest, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram.
  • Male‑skew: Reddit, X (Twitter), to a lesser extent YouTube.
  • Near‑balanced: Facebook, WhatsApp.

Local behavioral trends and seasonality

• Facebook Groups are central: community forums, buy/sell/trade, school, ferry/airport and weather updates, local business promos. Engagement is notably higher here than on brand pages.
• Tourism season (May–Sept) drives a visible spike in Instagram Reels/TikTok/YouTube Shorts featuring scenery, fishing, hiking, and cruise‑day content; local businesses lean into short‑form video and Stories for offers and same‑day specials.
• Content that performs: short vertical video, photo carousels of scenery/wildlife, timely service updates (ferries, flights, weather), event posts, and community spotlights.
• Timing: Evenings (7–10 pm AKT) see the highest engagement across platforms; weekend mid‑mornings perform well for community/event content; teen‑oriented engagement rises after school (3–5 pm).
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger is the default; WhatsApp usage pops among seasonal workers/international visitors; Discord appears in gaming/youth circles.
• Device behavior: Predominantly mobile; location‑tagging and hashtags like #Ketchikan, #InsidePassage, #AlaskaCruise amplify reach during tourist months.

Operational takeaways

• If reaching residents: prioritize Facebook Groups + short‑form video on Instagram/TikTok; post evenings; emphasize community utility and timely updates.
• If targeting visitors: concentrate spend and posting cadence May–Sept; lean into Reels/TikTok with scenic hooks and clear CTAs; enable DM ordering/booking.

Sources and methodology

• U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (2023) for borough population and sex mix.
• American Community Survey (ACS) S2801 for broadband context (state and urban‑borough comparables).
• Pew Research Center (2023–2024) Social Media Use among U.S. adults; platform percentages applied as a proxy to Ketchikan’s adult population profile.