Population 3,856 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Big Lake
Household size in Big Lake
| Period | Big Lake | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.90 | 2.79 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.54 | 2.88 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.70 | 2.91 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.39 | 2.72 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.51 | −0.07 | −0.03 |
Households in Big Lake are small: just 2.39 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 2.90, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Big Lake
| Period | Big Lake | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 34.1 | 35.0 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 42.4 | 35.2 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 41.1 | 35.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 43.3 | 37.1 | 40.1 |
| Change | +9.2 | +2.1 | +2.3 |
The median resident of Big Lake is 43.3 years old, older than the national median of 40.1.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Big Lake
| Period | Big Lake | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 18.8% | 14.0% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 7.5% | 13.4% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 10.0% | 12.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.7% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| Change | −8.1 pts | −2.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are about as common in Big Lake as they are nationally: 10.7%, against 11.6%. Single parents are less common here than in Alaska as a whole (11.8%).
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Big Lake
Renters in Big Lake
| Period | Big Lake | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 27.4% | 35.3% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 20.1% | 36.7% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 24.1% | 35.7% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 19.1% | 33.2% | 34.8% |
| Change | −8.3 pts | −2.1 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 19.1% of households in Big Lake rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Among homeowners, 55.7% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Big Lake
| Period | Big Lake | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 40.8% | 14.2% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 46.2% | 15.0% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 50.8% | 16.8% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 41.7% | 15.2% | 9.6% |
| Change | +0.9 pts | +1.0 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 41.7% of the housing in Big Lake, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Big Lake
| Period | Big Lake | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1982 | 1982 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1988 | 1984 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1991 | 1985 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1993 | 1987 | 1980 |
| Change | +11 | +5 | +6 |
Big Lake has newer housing than the country as a whole: the median home was built in 1993, versus 1980 nationally.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Big Lake
| Period | Big Lake | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $918 | $1,067 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $916 | $1,192 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,046 | $1,322 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,166 | $1,518 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$248 | +$451 | +$606 |
The median renter in Big Lake pays $1,166 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 37.0% of household income on rent, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Big Lake
Bachelor's degrees in Big Lake
| Period | Big Lake | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 18.0% | 26.3% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 19.1% | 26.8% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 13.1% | 29.1% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 13.2% | 31.1% | 35.6% |
| Change | −4.8 pts | +4.9 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Big Lake have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 13.2%, against 35.6% nationally.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Big Lake
| Period | Big Lake | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 94.4% | 90.6% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 92.9% | 91.5% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 89.9% | 92.5% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 89.0% | 93.3% | 89.3% |
| Change | −5.4 pts | +2.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Big Lake is close to the national rate: 89.0% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. The rate is lower than in Alaska as a whole (93.3%).
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Big Lake
| Period | Big Lake | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.8% | 9.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 12.3% | 9.1% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 11.4% | 7.6% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 2.1% | 6.2% | 5.4% |
| Change | −9.7 pts | −3.0 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Big Lake has been low: just 2.1% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Big Lake compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Lake | 2.39 | 43.3 | 10.7% | 19.1% | 41.7% | 1993 | $1,166 | 13.2% | 89.0% | 2.1% |
| Knik | 2.60 | 39.4 | 6.9% | 22.7% | 26.6% | 1995 | $1,074 | 8.5% | 85.5% | 3.1% |
| Houston | 2.59 | 41.7 | 11.0% | 18.1% | 36.2% | 1996 | $1,246 | 17.5% | 93.2% | 9.6% |
| Knik-Fairview | 3.04 | 33.1 | 10.7% | 15.3% | 9.6% | 2003 | $1,658 | 21.5% | 94.1% | 4.9% |
| Meadow Lakes | 2.78 | 37.1 | 13.6% | 23.0% | 18.7% | 1996 | $1,453 | 17.6% | 92.0% | 6.1% |
| Chugiak | 2.43 | 45.0 | 3.8% | 14.8% | 13.1% | 1988 | $1,294 | 47.6% | 95.3% | 3.1% |
| Elmendorf Afb | 2.74 | 23.0 | 2.7% | 99.7% | 2.1% | 1989 | $2,047 | 42.8% | 99.8% | 4.3% |
| Fort Richardson | 3.34 | 24.1 | 5.1% | 88.4% | 4.0% | 2003 | $2,263 | 36.5% | 96.8% | 6.9% |
| Eagle River | 2.70 | 35.7 | 4.9% | 19.2% | 7.0% | 1989 | $2,269 | 47.7% | 96.3% | 3.3% |
| Tanaina | 3.02 | 33.8 | 14.0% | 23.1% | 6.3% | 1996 | $1,451 | 22.7% | 92.9% | 5.8% |
| Wasilla | 2.70 | 36.5 | 10.8% | 38.3% | 8.0% | 1997 | $1,392 | 24.4% | 95.8% | 6.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Zephyrhills South, FL · Zumbrota, MN · Country Lake Estates, NJ · Oakland, FL · Oakboro, NC · Oak Hill, TN · Oak Hill, OH · Novelty, OH · Cottonport, LA · Northvale, NJ
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Big Lake. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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