Lower Kalskag, Alaska

Lower Kalskag, Alaska Qalqaq
City
The historic St. Seraphim Chapel
Lower Kalskag, Alaska Location in Alaska
Coordinates: 61°30′49″N 160°21′33″W
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Census Area	Bethel
Incorporated	1969
Government
• Mayor	Crim Evan
• State senator	Lyman Hoffman (D)
• State rep.	Bryce Edgmon (I)
Area
• Total	1.75 sq mi (4.53 km2)
• Land	1.24 sq mi (3.22 km2)
• Water	0.51 sq mi (1.31 km2)
Elevation	26 ft (8 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	278
• Density	223.47/sq mi (86.27/km2)
Time zone	UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-8 (AKDT)
ZIP code	99626
Area code	907
FIPS code	02-45460
GNIS feature ID	1405763

Lower Kalskag (Central Yupik: Qalqaq; Russian: Лоуэр-Калскаг) is a city in Bethel Census Area, Alaska, United States. It is twenty-six miles west of Aniak. At the 2010 census the population was 282, up from 267 in 2000.

Geography

Lower Kalskag is located at 61°30′49″N 160°21′33″W (61.513735, -160.359050).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), of which, 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it (25.58%) is water.

Lower Kalskag, referred to by the locals as just "Lower", is linked to Upper Kalskag (Upper) by a single two mile maintained gravel/dirt road.

Lower Kalskag is accessible only by small plane, boat, and vehicles via the river "ice road" (Winter only).

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1940	76		—
1950	88		15.8%
1960	122		38.6%
1970	183		50.0%
1980	246		34.4%
1990	291		18.3%
2000	267		−8.2%
2010	282		5.6%
2020	278		−1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

Lower Kalskag first appeared on the 1940 U.S. Census erroneously as the unincorporated village of Kalskag. In 1950, it reported as Lower Kalskag. It formally incorporated in 1969.

As of the census of 2000, there were 267 people, 66 households, and 54 families residing in the city. The population density was 208.2 inhabitants per square mile (80.4/km²). There were 79 housing units at an average density of 61.6 units per square mile (23.8 units/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 4.49% White, 88.76% Native American, and 6.74% from two or more races.

There were 66 households, out of which 62.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 24.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.7% were non-families. 15.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.05 and the average family size was 4.53.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 44.9% under the age of 18, 13.5% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 4.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,625, and the median income for a family was $27,500. Males had a median income of $16,667 versus $36,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $7,654. About 36.7% of families and 40.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 51.4% of those under the age of eighteen and 35.7% of those 65 or over.