Yakutat City and Borough is a home rule borough in Alaska, United States, on the Gulf of Alaska coast about 212 miles northwest of Juneau by air, reachable only by boat or plane. It had a population of 662 at the 2020 census, unchanged from 2010, and covers 9,462 square miles (24,506 km2) of land and water centred near 59°33′N 139°44′W.
Yakutat is the borough seat, and its postal code is 99689. The borough has one incorporated city, Yakutat, and no other towns, villages, or census-designated places. It sits in the Alaska Time zone (UTC−9, UTC−8 daylight) and carries FIPS code 02282.
Towns & Villages in Yakutat
Yakutat’s entire year-round population lives in the city of Yakutat itself, on Monti Bay near the mouth of the Situk River. The borough’s other 9,000-plus square miles are wilderness, glacier, and national forest with no permanent settlements.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yakutat | City · seat | 662 | 99689 |
ZIP Codes
- 99689 — Yakutat (covers the entire borough; there is no second post office)
Because the borough has only one community, every address in Yakutat City and Borough uses the same ZIP code.
Geography
Yakutat sits on a narrow coastal shelf between the Gulf of Alaska and the St. Elias Mountains, with the Malaspina Glacier and Hubbard Glacier — North America’s largest tidewater glacier — inside its borders. Roughly a fifth of the borough is water: Yakutat Bay, Monti Bay, and a chain of glacial lakes. The borough borders the Gulf of Alaska to the west and south, the Chugach Census Area to the northwest, the Copper River Census Area and Yukon Territory, Canada, to the north, the Stikine Region of British Columbia to the northeast, and the Hoonah-Angoon Census Area to the southeast. No highway connects Yakutat to any other Alaska community; all of its land borders run through uninhabited wilderness.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 662 residents in Yakutat City and Borough, and the 2025 estimate puts the figure at about 672. The city of Yakutat is the only community and accounts for essentially the entire population; the rest of the borough is uninhabited. Alaska’s median household income was $88,121 in the 2023 American Community Survey, and Yakutat’s fishing-dependent economy generally tracks below that state figure in years with weak salmon returns. With well over 600 square miles of land per resident, Yakutat is one of the least densely populated boroughs in the country.
Economy & Local Life
Commercial and sport fishing is the largest economic activity in Yakutat, built around salmon, halibut, and Dungeness crab landed at the small boat harbor. The borough government, the school district, and a handful of lodges serving sport anglers and surfers round out local employment; Yakutat’s beach breaks are known among Alaska surfers despite the cold water. The Tern Festival, held each spring, celebrates the Arctic terns that nest on the outwash plains near town and draws birders from outside the borough.
History
Yakutat’s name comes from the Tlingit Yaakwdáat, “the place where canoes rest,” itself adapted from an earlier Eyak word. The Eyak and later the Tlingit occupied the site for centuries before Russian traders established a short-lived fort and sea otter station there in the 1790s. American canneries built up the fishing economy in the early 1900s. The area was long administered as the Yakutat – Skagway – Angoon census area before local residents voted to incorporate the Yakutat Borough on September 22, 1992, giving the community its own home rule government.
Getting There
No road links Yakutat to the rest of Alaska. Access is by air or water only.
- Juneau — 212 miles southeast
- Cordova — about 150 miles northwest
- Sitka — roughly 220 miles south
Yakutat Airport (YAK) has scheduled jet service to Juneau, Cordova, and Anchorage; there is no Amtrak or intercity bus service anywhere in the borough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Yakutat City and Borough?
It is on Alaska’s Gulf Coast, between Prince William Sound and Southeast Alaska, about 212 miles northwest of Juneau.
What is the Yakutat postcode?
99689, the only ZIP code in the borough.
What was the population at the 2020 census?
662 people, the same figure recorded in 2010.
Can you drive to Yakutat?
No. Yakutat has no road connection to any other Alaska community; travel is by plane or boat.
What is Yakutat’s economy based on?
Commercial and sport fishing, along with borough government, schools, and a small tourism and lodge sector built around fishing, surfing, and glacier viewing.
When was Yakutat Borough incorporated?
September 22, 1992, as a home rule borough, after decades as part of a larger unorganized census area.
What does the name Yakutat mean?
It comes from the Tlingit word Yaakwdáat, “the place where canoes rest,” adapted from an earlier Eyak name.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Alaska.