Petersburg is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Alaska. With a population of 3,043 people and just one neighborhood, Petersburg is the 25th largest community in Alaska.
Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Petersburg is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Petersburg is a town of sales and office workers, service providers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Petersburg who work in office and administrative support (10.80%), sales jobs (10.20%), and farm management occupations (8.99%).
Also of interest is that Petersburg has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
The town is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, Petersburg has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes Petersburg a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.
Petersburg is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.
One of the benefits of Petersburg is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 9.49 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.
The citizens of Petersburg are slightly better educated than the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns, with 24.50% of adults in Petersburg having a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.
The per capita income in Petersburg in 2022 was $37,415, which is middle income relative to Alaska, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $149,660 for a family of four. However, Petersburg contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Petersburg is an extremely ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Petersburg home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Petersburg residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Petersburg include German, Norwegian, Irish, English, and Swedish.
Petersburg also has a high percentage of its population that was born in another country: 21.19%.
The most common language spoken in Petersburg is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Tagalog.
The way a neighborhood looks and feels when you walk or drive around it, from its setting, its buildings, and its flavor, can make all the difference. This neighborhood has some really cool things about the way it looks and feels as revealed by NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research. This might include anything from the housing stock to the types of households living here to how people get around.
Unpopulated, and rural, the neighborhood is one of the least crowded neighborhoods in all of America. If you like open space, no traffic, and lots of room, this neighborhood may be just what you are looking for. According to NeighborhoodScout's leading research, this neighborhood is less densely populated than 99.3% of the neighborhoods in America. is a neighborhood that is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Many times, such places have amenities that bring locals and visitors to the waterfront for recreational activities or to check out the scenery. In some densely populated areas that are less financially well-off, the neighborhood waterfront can be relatively industrial and less open to recreation. In addition to being coastal, is a very nautical neighborhood, meaning that it is somewhat historic, walkable, densely populated and on the water. This gives the neighborhood a very nautical feel, with some seaside and shipping feel, which some may really enjoy the sights and sounds of. One of the notable things about is that it is one of the quietest neighborhoods in America, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis and quantitative rating of quietness. When you are here, you will find it to be very quiet. If quiet and peaceful are your cup of tea, you may have found a great place for you.
Whether walking, biking, riding, or driving, the length of one's commute is an important factor for one's quality of life. The neighborhood stands out for its commute length, according to NeighborhoodScout's analysis. Residents of the neighborhood have the pleasure of having one of the shortest commutes to work of any neighborhood in America. 89.7% of the residents have a commute time from home to work (one way) of less than fifteen minutes. This is a higher proportion of residents enjoying a short trip to work than NeighborhoodScout found in 99.9% of U.S. neighborhoods. Less time commuting means more time for other things in life.
Each year, fewer and fewer Americans make their living as farmers, foresters, or fishers. But the neighborhood truly stands out among U.S. neighborhoods. According to exclusive NeighborhoodScout analysis, this neighborhood has a greater proportion of farmers, foresters, or fishers than 98.8% of all American neighborhoods. This is truly a unique cultural characteristic of this neighborhood.
More people in choose to walk to work each day (19.5%) than almost any neighborhood in America. If you are attracted to the idea of being able to walk to work, this neighborhood could be a good choice.
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Native American and Finnish ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 6.6% of this neighborhood's residents have Native American ancestry and 1.9% have Finnish ancestry.
is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 2.4% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Mon-Khmer, which is the dominant language of Cambodia, at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 99.6% of the neighborhoods in America.
How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.
The neighbors in the neighborhood in Petersburg are middle-income, making it a moderate income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 56.9% of the neighborhoods in America. In addition, 5.7% of the children seventeen and under living in this neighborhood are living below the federal poverty line, which is a lower rate of childhood poverty than is found in 62.4% of America's neighborhoods.
A neighborhood is far different if it is dominated by enlisted military personnel rather than people who earn their living by farming. It is also different if most of the neighbors are clerical support or managers. What is wonderful is the sheer diversity of neighborhoods, allowing you to find the type that fits your lifestyle and aspirations.
In the neighborhood, 25.0% of the working population is employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants, with 24.5% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in executive, management, and professional occupations (24.4%), and 17.1% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
The languages spoken by people in this neighborhood are diverse. These are tabulated as the languages people preferentially speak when they are at home with their families. The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 76.3% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish, Tagalog (the first language of the Philippine region), Chinese and Mon-Khmer (the dominant language of Cambodia).
Culture is the shared learned behavior of peoples. Undeniably, different ethnicities and ancestries have different cultural traditions, and as a result, neighborhoods with concentrations of residents of one or another ethnicities or ancestries will express those cultures. It is what makes the North End in Boston so fun to visit for the Italian restaurants, bakeries, culture, and charm, and similarly, why people enjoy visiting Chinatown in San Francisco.
In the neighborhood in Petersburg, AK, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Asian (17.8%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (13.5%), and residents who report Norwegian roots (10.5%), and some of the residents are also of Irish ancestry (8.1%), along with some English ancestry residents (7.4%), among others. In addition, 20.8% of the residents of this neighborhood were born in another country.
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (89.7% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.
Here most residents (58.7%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also hop out the door and walk to work to get to work (19.5%) and 14.0% of residents also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.