Who are the Northwest Arctic Borough commissioners?

Austin Swan Sr. (Assembly Member); Billy Lee (Assembly Member); Carl Weisner (Assembly Member); Craig McConnell (Assembly Member); Derek Haviland Lie (Assembly Member); Elmer Armstrong Jr. (Assembly Member); Nathan Hadley Jr (Assembly Member); Raven Sheldon (Assembly Member); Reid Magdanz (Assembly Member); Teressa Cyrus (Assembly Member); Walter Sampson (Assembly Member).

Who is on the Northwest Arctic Borough School Board?

Alice Adams (Seat A); Millie Hawley (Seat B); Jeanne Gerhardt-Cyrus (Seat C); Lawrence Jones (Seat D); Tillie Ticket (Seat E); Shannon Melton (Seat F); Marie Greene (Seat G); Alice Melton-Barr (Seat H); Erica Nelson (Seat I); Margaret Hansen (Seat J); Carol Schaeffer (Seat K).

What is the population of Northwest Arctic Borough?

About 7,441 people, with a median age of 28.8; the median household income is $84,018 and 17.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Northwest Arctic Borough?

9.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 290 people unemployed in a labor force of 3,170, against 9.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Northwest Arctic Borough?

12 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 10 municipal and 1 special district governments.

What cities and towns are in Northwest Arctic Borough?

9: Ambler, Buckland, Deering, Kivalina, Kobuk, Kotzebue, Noorvik, Selawik, Shungnak. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.

Northwest Arctic Borough, AK elected officials: borough assembly, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Northwest Arctic Borough: 66 seats on 11 elected bodies.

Borough Assembly

Northwest Arctic Borough Assembly

Office	Who holds it now
Assembly Member	Austin Swan Sr. source
Assembly Member	Billy Lee source
Assembly Member	Carl Weisner source
Assembly Member	Craig McConnell source
Assembly Member	Derek Haviland Lie source
Assembly Member	Elmer Armstrong Jr. source
Assembly Member	Nathan Hadley Jr source
Assembly Member	Raven Sheldon source
Assembly Member	Reid Magdanz source
Assembly Member	Teressa Cyrus source
Assembly Member	Walter Sampson source

School Board

Northwest Arctic Borough School District Board

Office	Who holds it now
School Board Member, Seat A	Alice Adams source
School Board Member, Seat B	Millie Hawley source
School Board Member, Seat C	Jeanne Gerhardt-Cyrus source
School Board Member, Seat D	Lawrence Jones source
School Board Member, Seat E	Tillie Ticket source
School Board Member, Seat F	Shannon Melton source
School Board Member, Seat G	Marie Greene source
School Board Member, Seat H	Alice Melton-Barr source
School Board Member, Seat I	Erica Nelson source
School Board Member, Seat J	Margaret Hansen source
School Board Member, Seat K	Carol Schaeffer source

Cities and towns

Ambler · 1 seat
Buckland · Mayor Glenna Parrish · 7 seats
Deering · Mayor Kevin Moto Sr. · 4 seats
Kivalina · 4 seats
Kobuk · Mayor Edward Gooden · 7 seats
Kotzebue · 3 seats
Noorvik · Mayor Vern Cleveland · 5 seats
Selawik · Mayor Kirk Oviok Jr. · 6 seats
Shungnak · Mayor Justin Custer · 7 seats

How many local governments Northwest Arctic Borough has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 12 local governments in Northwest Arctic Borough. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of government	Census count (2022)	Listed on this page
County government	1	1
Cities, towns, villages and townships	10	9
School districts (school boards)	0	1
Special districts (elected boards)	1	0

Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).

About these counts

The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments (1 in Northwest Arctic Borough), though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.

Who lives in Northwest Arctic Borough

7,441people

28.8median ageU.S.: 38.9

$84,018 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

17.9%below the U.S.: 12.5%

10.6%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$199,100median home valueU.S.: $332,700

16.7%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

2.2%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

5.6%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

18.1%U.S.: 8.4%

19.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

19.7%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 2.3% · White 9.2% · Black 0.6% · Asian 1.6% · Other or more than one race 86.4% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)

Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).

About these figures

The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.

Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.

Jobs in Northwest Arctic Borough

9.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 9.6%. Alaska: 3.9%.

290people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

2,880people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

3,170in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	9.1%	290	2,880	3,170
August 2026	8.8%	276	2,873	3,149
July 2026	9.5%	294	2,798	3,092
June 2026	9.4%	295	2,835	3,130
May 2026	8.7%	271	2,843	3,114
April 2026	9.5%	304	2,907	3,211
March 2026	11.2%	368	2,917	3,285
February 2026	10.9%	360	2,932	3,292
January 2026	10.2%	329	2,900	3,229
December 2025	9.9%	321	2,910	3,231
November 2025	11.1%	361	2,889	3,250
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	9.6%	314	2,969	3,283
August 2025	9.5%	307	2,923	3,230
July 2025	9.6%	297	2,809	3,106
June 2025	10.1%	316	2,818	3,134
May 2025	9.7%	300	2,794	3,094
April 2025	9.0%	279	2,807	3,086
March 2025	10.6%	333	2,796	3,129
February 2025	11.0%	345	2,786	3,131
January 2025	9.7%	298	2,760	3,058
December 2024	8.3%	263	2,916	3,179
November 2024	9.3%	294	2,877	3,171
October 2024	8.2%	255	2,855	3,110

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	10.0%	316	2,842	3,158
2024	9.2%	285	2,813	3,098
2023	9.1%	270	2,702	2,972
2022	9.4%	266	2,577	2,843
2021	10.8%	321	2,643	2,964
2020	12.2%	372	2,687	3,059
2019	12.5%	379	2,649	3,028
2018	12.4%	378	2,670	3,048
2017	14.9%	457	2,619	3,076
2016	14.8%	456	2,617	3,073

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Alaska's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.3% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.

Crime reported in Northwest Arctic Borough

1,088.4 per 100,0002024. Alaska: 729.1.

714.3 per 100,0002024. Alaska: 1,721.2.

0murders2024, 32 violent crimes in all.

2024 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2024	32	1,088.4	21	714.3
2023	43	1,469.1	40	1,366.6
2022	46	1,512.7	30	986.5
2021	34	1,041.7	27	827.2
2019	77	2,353.3	83	2,536.7
2018	106	3,238.6	140	4,277.4
2017	121	3,721.9	178	5,475.2
2016	111	3,373.9	206	6,261.4

By police agency (1)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Kotzebue Police Department	2024	32	21	2,940

Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in Alaska · the U.S.

Police staffing

4.23 per 1,000 residents2025, 1 agency serving 2,839 people.

12sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

3civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (1), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Kotzebue Police Department	12	3	2,839

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	12	4.23	3	1
2024	10	3.40	5	1
2023	13	4.44	3	1
2022	15	4.93	3	1
2021	15	4.60	2	1
2020	10	3.08	8	1
2019	6	1.83	7	1
2018	7	2.14	8	1
2017	10	3.08	7	1
2016	11	3.34	8	1

Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.

Quick answers

Who are the Northwest Arctic Borough commissioners?: Austin Swan Sr. (Assembly Member); Billy Lee (Assembly Member); Carl Weisner (Assembly Member); Craig McConnell (Assembly Member); Derek Haviland Lie (Assembly Member); Elmer Armstrong Jr. (Assembly Member); Nathan Hadley Jr (Assembly Member); Raven Sheldon (Assembly Member); Reid Magdanz (Assembly Member); Teressa Cyrus (Assembly Member); Walter Sampson (Assembly Member).
Who is on the Northwest Arctic Borough School Board?: Alice Adams (Seat A); Millie Hawley (Seat B); Jeanne Gerhardt-Cyrus (Seat C); Lawrence Jones (Seat D); Tillie Ticket (Seat E); Shannon Melton (Seat F); Marie Greene (Seat G); Alice Melton-Barr (Seat H); Erica Nelson (Seat I); Margaret Hansen (Seat J); Carol Schaeffer (Seat K).
What is the population of Northwest Arctic Borough?: About 7,441 people, with a median age of 28.8; the median household income is $84,018 and 17.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Northwest Arctic Borough?: 9.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 290 people unemployed in a labor force of 3,170, against 9.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Northwest Arctic Borough?: 12 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 10 municipal and 1 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Northwest Arctic Borough?: 9: Ambler, Buckland, Deering, Kivalina, Kobuk, Kotzebue, Noorvik, Selawik, Shungnak. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs' elected officials data; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.

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