STD Rates in Alaska
CDC surveillance data for Alaska covering chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV — with 15-year trends, state comparisons, and national rankings.
Alaska has the second-highest combined STD rate in the country. Out of 50 states, only one ranks worse. The combined rate of 1,031 per 100,000 residents sits 62% above the national median — but the more telling story isn't where Alaska sits today, it's how it got there. Gonorrhea has more than tripled since 2008, and syphilis, which was essentially absent from Alaska's data for years, has become a persistent presence over the past decade.
Chlamydia remains the most common diagnosis by volume — 5,117 cases in 2023, at a rate of 697.7 per 100,000. That's 48% above the national median of 471.3. The long-run picture is complicated: rates surged through the mid-2000s and peaked around 2019, then pulled back during the pandemic years and have continued drifting downward. The 2023 rate is actually the lowest Alaska has recorded since 2006. That's a real change in direction, though the state is still well above where most of the country sits.
Gonorrhea is the sharper story. Alaska's rate of 310.9 per 100,000 is more than double the national median of 152.2 — and it got there fast. In 2008, the gonorrhea rate was 84.3. By 2017, it had nearly quadrupled to 295.9, and it hasn't come back down. Syphilis traces a similar arc: essentially zero cases before 2010, a rate of 17.6 by 2019, and 22.5 in 2023 — above the national median of 14.8. Both diseases, unlike chlamydia, show no sign of reversing.
HIV diagnoses in Alaska have been rising since 2018, reaching 37 new cases and a rate of 6.1 per 100,000 in 2022 — the most recent year with complete data. The state's numbers are small in absolute terms, but the trend line has been climbing steadily. If you're in Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Juneau, STDTest.com can help you find a testing location nearby — because most STDs, including the ones rising fastest in Alaska, don't announce themselves with symptoms.
STD Trends in Alaska
Alaska's chlamydia rate has actually been declining since its 2019 peak of 854.9 per 100,000 — the 2023 rate of 697.7 is the lowest the state has recorded in nearly two decades. That's a meaningful shift in trajectory. Even so, the rate is still 48% above the national median of 471.3, which means the improvement is real but Alaska still carries a heavier burden than most states.
Alaska's gonorrhea rate has risen roughly 269% since 2008 — from 84.3 to 310.9 per 100,000 — and unlike chlamydia, it has shown no sustained decline. The 2023 rate is more than double the national median of 152.2, and the rate has remained above 270 every year since 2020. A brief dip in 2020 and 2021 likely reflects pandemic-era testing gaps rather than any real reduction in transmission.
Syphilis in Alaska was functionally nonexistent before 2010 — the rate was recorded as zero as recently as 2009. By 2021 it had reached 26.5 per 100,000, and while it pulled back slightly to 22.5 in 2023, it remains above the national median of 14.8. The YoY uptick of 3.2% in 2023 suggests the decline seen in 2022 hasn't held.
Alaska's HIV data runs through 2022 and shows a clear upward trend over the past five years. New diagnoses rose from 23 in 2018 to 37 in 2022, with the rate climbing from 3.8 to 6.1 per 100,000. The slight uptick in 2020 — during a period when many states saw testing drop off — suggests Alaska's numbers may reflect more consistent surveillance than a genuine spike, but the overall direction since 2018 is unambiguous.
Know your status — get tested today
Same-day testing at 4,500+ locations. No appointment needed. Results in 1–3 days.
Alaska vs National Average
Comparing 2023 rates against the U.S. median across all 50 states.
| Infection | Alaska | US Median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 697.7 | 471.3 | 48% above |
| Gonorrhea | 310.9 | 152.2 | 104.3% above |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 22.5 | 14.8 | 52% above |
STD Rates by County
County-level data from CDC surveillance. Ranked by combined rate per 100,000.
| County | State Rank | Combined | Chlamydia | Gonorrhea | Syphilis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nome Census Area | #1 of 30 | 3912.7 | 2499.2 | 1413.5 | 0.0 |
| Kusilvak Census Area | #2 of 30 | 3837.0 | 3099.6 | 737.4 | 0.0 |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | #3 of 30 | 3708.8 | 2200.8 | 1480.8 | 27.2 |
| Bethel Census Area | #4 of 30 | 2935.7 | 2392.4 | 532.3 | 11.0 |
| North Slope Borough | #5 of 30 | 1641.1 | 905.4 | 679.1 | 56.6 |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | #6 of 30 | 1618.2 | 1072.3 | 526.4 | 19.5 |
| Anchorage Municipality | #7 of 30 | 1325.9 | 852.2 | 440.1 | 33.6 |
| Dillingham Census Area | #8 of 30 | 1302.4 | 890.0 | 325.6 | 86.8 |
| Lake and Peninsula Borough | #9 of 30 | 976.7 | 826.4 | 150.3 | 0.0 |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | #10 of 30 | 929.0 | 583.1 | 303.7 | 42.2 |
| Juneau City and Borough | #11 of 30 | 706.7 | 513.4 | 187.0 | 6.3 |
| Yakutat City and Borough | #12 of 30 | 582.3 | 436.7 | 145.6 | 0.0 |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | #13 of 30 | 530.5 | 353.7 | 132.6 | 44.2 |
| Denali Borough | #14 of 30 | 505.1 | 378.8 | 126.3 | 0.0 |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | #15 of 30 | 473.2 | 429.5 | 43.7 | 0.0 |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | #16 of 30 | 410.4 | 322.8 | 83.3 | 4.3 |
| Bristol Bay Borough | #17 of 30 | 355.5 | 355.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Copper River Census Area | #18 of 30 | 336.6 | 187.0 | 112.2 | 37.4 |
| Sitka City and Borough | #19 of 30 | 314.0 | 301.9 | 12.1 | 0.0 |
| Haines Borough | #20 of 30 | 289.8 | 96.6 | 193.2 | 0.0 |
| Kodiak Island Borough | #21 of 30 | 262.7 | 199.0 | 63.7 | 0.0 |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | #22 of 30 | 254.3 | 197.8 | 56.5 | 0.0 |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough | #23 of 30 | 251.6 | 200.9 | 42.5 | 8.2 |
| Skagway Municipality | #24 of 30 | 182.6 | 182.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Aleutians West Census Area | #25 of 30 | 155.0 | 155.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | #26 of 30 | 105.4 | 87.8 | 17.6 | 0.0 |
| Wrangell City and Borough | #27 of 30 | 96.9 | 96.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Chugach Census Area | #28 of 30 | 73.9 | 73.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Petersburg Census Area | #29 of 30 | 58.4 | 58.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Aleutians East Borough | #30 of 30 | 57.8 | 57.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
What the numbers mean — and what to do about them
Alaska's combined STD rate of 1,031 per 100,000 translates to more than 7,500 diagnoses across chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis in a single year — in a state with a population smaller than most mid-sized American cities. That's one diagnosis for roughly every 97 residents. Nationally, only one state has a higher rate. For most Alaskans, those numbers stay abstract until they become personal.
The trend that carries the most clinical weight is gonorrhea's sustained rise. Unlike chlamydia — which has shown some recent decline — gonorrhea in Alaska has stayed above 270 per 100,000 every year since 2020 and shows no clear downward trajectory. Gonorrhea is frequently asymptomatic, especially in women, which means it can spread for months before anyone knows it's there. Syphilis carries the same problem: Alaska's rate crossed above the national median in recent years and ticked upward again in 2023. Both infections are curable with antibiotics, but only if they're caught. Alaska's gonorrhea rate has more than tripled since 2008 without most of the people contributing to that number ever knowing they were infected. STDTest.com can show you where to get tested today.
If you live in Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Juneau, finding a testing location is straightforward — STDTest.com lists clinics, health centers, and testing services across the state. Sexually active adults should treat testing as routine, not reactive. Annual screening for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis is a reasonable starting point; if you have multiple partners, every three to six months makes more sense given where Alaska's numbers sit.
WHO SHOULD GET TESTED
Any sexually active adult in Alaska should consider regular STD screening, but the data points to particular risk among young adults, given Alaska's chlamydia rate of 697.7 per 100,000 — nearly 50% above the national median. Alaska's gonorrhea rate is more than double the US median, which means the risk isn't limited to any single demographic. If you're sexually active and haven't tested recently, the state's ranking as second in the nation is reason enough to make an appointment.
HOW OFTEN
Given that Alaska's gonorrhea and syphilis rates have both remained elevated or risen in recent years with no sign of sustained decline, once-a-year testing is a reasonable floor for sexually active adults. People with multiple partners or who don't consistently use condoms should test every three to six months. Syphilis in particular has gone from near-zero to above the national median in Alaska over the past 15 years — it's no longer a rare edge case.
WHAT TO EXPECT
STD testing is quick and mostly straightforward — typically a urine sample and a blood draw, sometimes a swab. Most results come back within two to five days. If something comes back positive, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are all treatable with antibiotics. HIV testing is usually included in comprehensive panels. The visit itself takes less time than most people expect, and many locations in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau offer confidential or anonymous testing options.
Find a clinic near you
4,500+ testing locations nationwide. 100% confidential. Most insurance accepted.
