# Nome, Alaska: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Nome

Nome is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Nome is home to Nome, Savoonga, Unalakleet and Gambell. Unemployment was 8.5% in August 2026, against 10.2% in 2019. 4 MW has retired here since 2019, including Elim (petroleum, 1 MW, 2024). 2 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly petroleum. Its power plants have 31 MW of capacity, 94% of it petroleum.

4 MW
of generating capacity retired since 2019

31 MW
of operating power plants, mostly petroleum

69.95¢
per kWh for Alaska Village Elec Coop, Inc residential customers, 2024

## Cities and towns in Nome

Nome is home to Nome, Savoonga, Unalakleet and Gambell.

Nome3,653 residents
Savoonga810 residents
Unalakleet748 residents
Gambell625 residents
Stebbins617 residents
Shishmaref555 residents
St. Michael444 residents
Brevig Mission421 residents
Elim363 residents
Koyuk298 residents
Teller241 residents
Shaktoolik209 residents
White Mountain179 residents
Golovin167 residents
Wales163 residents
Diomede81 residents

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Port Clarence.

Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.

## What changed in Nome

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Alaska |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 10,025 | 9,830 | ▼ 1.9% | 10th of 28 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 3,864 | 3,874 | ▲ 0.3% | 16th of 28 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $54,659 | $80,191 | ▲ 46.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 40 | 57 | ▲ 42.5% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 10.2% | 8.5% | ▼ 1.7pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 2 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 4 MW |  | — |

Alaska Village Elec Coop, Inc is the largest utility serving Nome, one of 4 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 69.95¢/kWh in 2024, above the 26.58¢ median for Alaska utilities. Employers here counted 3,874 jobs in 2025, up 0.3% from 2019. 9,830 people live here, down 1.9% since 2020, 10th of 28 Alaska counties by population.

## Who powers Nome

### Utilities with service territory in Nome

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Village Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 7,689 | 69.95¢ | 65% |
| Nome Joint Utility Systems | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of White Mountain - (AK) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Unalakleet Valley Elec Coop | — | — | — | — | — |

Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.

### Operating power plants 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 30 MW | 94% |
| Wind | 2 MW | 6% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snake River | Nome Joint Utility Systems | Petroleum | 18 MW | 1991 |
| Stebbins | Alaska Village Elec Coop, Inc | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2014 |
| Unalakleet | Unalakleet Valley Elec Coop | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2010 |
| Gambell | Alaska Village Elec Coop, Inc | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2006 |
| Savoonga | Alaska Village Elec Coop, Inc | Petroleum | 2 MW | 2008 |
| Shishmaref | Alaska Village Elec Coop, Inc | Petroleum | 2 MW | 1976 |

### Retired since 2019

| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elim | Petroleum | 1 MW | 2024 |
| Snake River | Wind | 1 MW | 2021 |
| Savoonga | Petroleum | 0 MW | 2019 |
| Shishmaref | Petroleum | 0 MW | 2024 |

## The Nome labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 3,874 | $80,191 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 57 | $109,586 | 0.28 |

Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.

## Data centers and local rules in Nome

No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Nome. Alaska has 3 local measures on record statewide.

## Nome and its neighbors

Of the 3 counties that border Nome, Northwest Arctic carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.

[[[

| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nome | 9,830 | ▲ 0.3% | 31 MW | — | — | — |
| Kusilvak](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/kusilvak) | 7,932 | ▼ 15.0% | 7 MW | — | — | — |
| Northwest Arctic](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/northwest-arctic) | 7,095 | ▲ 3.9% | 27 MW | — | — | — |
| Yukon-Koyukuk](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/yukon-koyukuk) | 5,028 | ▲ 2.5% | 7 MW | — | — | — |

## More of Alaska

[All Alaska countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska)[Kusilvak7,932 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/kusilvak)[Northwest Arctic7,095 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/northwest-arctic)[Yukon-Koyukuk5,028 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/yukon-koyukuk)

## Nome, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Nome, Alaska?

4 utilities have service territory in Nome in the EIA-861 2024 report: Alaska Village Elec Coop, Inc, Nome Joint Utility Systems, City of White Mountain - (AK), Unalakleet Valley Elec Coop. The largest, Alaska Village Elec Coop, Inc, charged residential customers 69.95¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What power plants are in Nome?

10 operating plants with 31 MW of capacity. The largest is Snake River (18 MW, petroleum).

### Are there data centers in Nome?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Nome.

### Is Nome adding jobs?

Employers counted 3,874 jobs in 2025 against 3,864 in 2019 (+0.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 40 to 57.

### Does Nome have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Nome. Alaska has 3 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

---
Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/nome
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
