Skip to Main Content

Alaska Museums Surveys and Data

Data gathered from museums surveyed around Alaska during 1984, 2000, 2010, and 2020.

Number of museums reporting (N) =52 Fifty-two reporting museums had a combined attendance of 2,256,931.

A regional breakdown results.
Southeast	1,033,631
Anchorage	653,741
Southcentral	325,493
Interior	211,221
Other	32,845
Total	2,256,931

Types of visitors (N=43)

Percentage breakdowns of visitor groups.:
Tourists	80.9%
Local residents	12.6%
School groups	6.5%

These percentages are skewed by figures for the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, which had 650,000 visitors. (The next highest total was the Alaska Zoo with 190,000.) Excluding Klondike Park numbers, percentages are:
Tourists	73.4%
Local residents	17.6%
School groups	9%

Individual museums may vary from these figures, but the overall trend was:
Group (N=43)	Range	Trend
Tourists	15% - 100% of visitation	34 museums > 50%
Local residents	0 - 70%	42 museums < 45%
School groups	0 - 50%	38 museums < 25%

Months open (N=55)

Forty-one museums are open year round. Fourteen museums are seasonal, open to the public for 3 to 7 months of the year.

Admission Fees (N=55)

Number of museums that answered about admission fees. Fees are rounded to the nearest dollar.
Admission fees	Summer	Winter
$20	1	0
$12.50	1	1
$6 - $8	4	5
$5	7	5
$4	2	0
$3	11	9
$2	9	6
$1	2	1
Free	18	15
Closed	0	14