Tanana first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as the unincorporated
Tinneh village and trading post of "
Nuklukaiet." It reported 29 residents, of which 27 were Tinneh and 2 were White. In 1890, it returned as "Nuklukayet." It had 120 residents with 110 Natives, 7 Whites and 3 Creoles (Mixed Russian and Native). The census of 1890 also reported "Upper Tanana River Settlements", which featured 203 residents (all native). However, this likely referred to those living along the southwesternmost part of the Tanana River in present-day
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, nowhere near Tanana itself. In 1900, the community first reported as Tanana. It would formally incorporate in 1961. Adjacent to Tanana on the west side was the military installation of
Fort Gibbon, which reported 181 residents in 1920. It would be deactivated in 1923 and later annexed into Tanana. To the east side of Tanana was the Saint James Mission in 1900, later called Mission of Our Savior in 1910 (also known as the Tanana Native Village). It reported separately from Tanana on the 1900-1940 censuses (1900: 161 residents; 1910: 114; 1920: 99; 1930: 96; 1940: 75). It also was later annexed into Tanana.
2020 census As of the
2020 census, Tanana had a population of 246. The median age was 45.3 years. 19.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 108.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 114.1 males age 18 and over. There were 115 households in Tanana, of which 17.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 24.3% were married-couple households, 32.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 51.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2000, there were 308 people, 121 households, and 68 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 166 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 79.87%
Native American, 17.86%
White, and 2.27% from two or more races. 0.65% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. There were 121 households, out of which 41.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.4% were
married couples living together, 20.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.0% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.43. Most of the population is under the age of 65 with 34.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, and 22.1% from 45 to 64; 8.4% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 131.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 128.4 males. The
median income for a household in the city was $29,750, and the median income for a family was $34,028. Males had a median income of $30,781 versus $23,500 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $12,077. About 16.4% of families and 23.0% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 15.0% of those under the age of 18 and none of those 65 or over. ==Education==