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Living in Alta

In Alta, unemployment is 1.8% (2026).

For Alta, the unemployment rate was 1.8% in June 2026. There were 400.3 physicians per 100,000 residents in 2024.

Last checked 2026-09-1920 sources

Population22,074people1 Jan 2026Official source · SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year.
Median gross salary (region)4,623EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · data.ssb.no
Unemployment rate1.8%country median 1.7% — 6% aboveOfficial source · NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026
Recorded crime6,450incidents per 100,000country median 4,460 — 45% aboveOfficial source · data.ssb.no

Which Norway-wide rules apply when you move to Alta?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in NorwayNational rates and thresholds that apply in Alta.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Alta. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
Alta recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€83
Mobile plan, 10 GB€28
Net rent across major citiesAlta highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Alta highlighted

net rent, € / m² / month

Trondheim€21.79
Bergen€20.40
Stavanger€19.55
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited83.29 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Telenor fixed broadband11Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB27.7 EUR/month30 Sept 2026ice 18GB mobile plan3Official · national market
Dwellings10,034 dwellings31 Dec 2025Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)9Official

Is Alta a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker64%strong on work, weak on housing · range 54–74%
Skilled employee68%strong on work, weak on housing · range 58–78%
Student42%strong on education, weak on housing · range 31–53%
Family51%strong on family, weak on housing · range 41–61%
Retirement41%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 29–53%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Alta?

The unemployment rate is 1.8 % (June 2026). Source: NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 20266

Unemployment across cities in NorwayUnemployment in Alta is 1.8%. Of 177 cities with data, 60 have unemployment of 1.5 to under 2%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary (regional)4,623 EUR/month31 Dec 2025data.ssb.no1Official
Unemployment rate1.8 %country median 1.7%30 Jun 2026NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 20266Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Alta. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

NAV employment service — Public employment service

Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV)

Job Search
Search jobs
Open the Norway service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Alta. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
International schools4 schools31 Dec 2025Utdanningsdirektoratet20Independent · fylke observation

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 16. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: særskilt norskopplæring (adapted Norwegian language education). How to enrol a child (regjeringen.no).

A country-wide rule for Norway; Alta's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Doctors per 1,000 residents3.97 per 1,00031 Dec 2024Helsedirektoratet12Independent · fylke observation
Physicians per 100,000 residents400.3 per 100,00031 Dec 2024Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)19Independent · fylke observation

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Alta when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Doctors per 1,000 residents3.97 per 1,000Verified 2026-06-12
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Alta?

Police recorded 6,450 incidents per 100,000 (2024-2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: data.ssb.no2

Recorded crime across major citiesAlta highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Alta highlighted

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Oslo8,790
Kristiansand8,170
Trondheim6,890
Drammen6,870
Stavanger6,540
Alta6,450
Bergen6,410
Fredrikstad6,280
Lillestrøm5,790
Sandnes5,270
Bærum5,170
Asker4,500
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents6,450 incidents per 100,000country median 4,46031 Dec 2024data.ssb.no2Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Alta. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Approved providers for Norwegian and social studies training — State Language Course

Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir)

For adult immigrants needing Norwegian and social studies training.

Norwegian
Open official information

Norwegian municipal introduction programme — Integration course

Municipalities under the national IMDi framework

For adult refugees and other eligible immigrants.

NorwegianIn Person
Open official information
Open the full Norway section
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Alta.

Find courses near Alta

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were −6.7°C in January and 13.9°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 39.9 mm in January and 50.2 mm in July.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
MetricValuePeriodSource
Average January temperature-1.53 °C28 Aug 2026MET Norway (Meteorologisk institutt)5Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by monthJan -3.31 · Feb -3.62 · Mar -0.393 · Apr 3.74 · May 8.84 · Jun 13.74 · Jul 17.63 · Aug 16.04 · Sep 11.46 · Oct 4.89 · Nov 0.26 · Dec -1.55 °C31 Dec 2020MET Norway Frost monthly observations — ALTA LUFTHAVN — 1991-2020 observational normal14Independent
Average night-time low by monthJan -10.21 · Feb -10.34 · Mar -7.36 · Apr -2.79 · May 2.45 · Jun 7.37 · Jul 10.92 · Aug 9.5 · Sep 5.58 · Oct -0.083 · Nov -5.46 · Dec -8.05 °C31 Dec 2020MET Norway Frost monthly observations — ALTA LUFTHAVN — 1991-2020 observational normal15Independent
Average temperature by monthJan -6.71 · Feb -6.87 · Mar -3.79 · Apr 0.493 · May 5.57 · Jun 10.23 · Jul 13.94 · Aug 12.54 · Sep 8.41 · Oct 2.37 · Nov -2.57 · Dec -4.73 °C31 Dec 2020MET Norway Frost monthly observations — ALTA LUFTHAVN — 1991-2020 observational normal16Independent
Average precipitation by monthJan 39.92 · Feb 29.19 · Mar 32.08 · Apr 24.27 · May 25.23 · Jun 37.3 · Jul 50.19 · Aug 48.87 · Sep 37.96 · Oct 44.31 · Nov 32.69 · Dec 38.03 mm31 Dec 2020MET Norway Frost monthly observations — ALTA LUFTHAVN — 1991-2020 observational normal17Independent

Population and city profile

The city covered 3,849 km² in 2026. Population density was 6 people per km² in 2026.

How many people live in Alta?

The published population was 22,074 people in 2026. Source: SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year.8

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Area3,849 km²1 Jan 2026Kartverket4Official · kommune observation
Cars per 1,000 residents442 per 1,00031 Dec 2025Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)18Independent · fylke observation
City area3,849 km²1 Jan 2026SSB 11342 ArealKm28Official
Foreign residents2,889 people1 Jan 2026SSB 09817 B-C / country background Total / Persons7Official
Population density6 people/km²1 Jan 2026SSB 11342 ArealKm28Official
Population22,074 people1 Jan 2026SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year.8Official

International community in Alta

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Ancestry or ethnicity

Norwegian-born to immigrant parents; official SSB table 09817; reference date 1 January 2026 · 2026-01-01

Published groupPeopleShare
Total2341.1%
Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions1590.7%
Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand750.3%
Afghanistan330.1%
Poland260.1%
Russia210.1%
Ukraine120.1%
Lithuania110.1%
Eritrea100.1%
Pakistan80.0%
Finland70.0%
Show 26 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Syria70.0%
Germany60.0%
Congo60.0%
Somalia60.0%
Sri Lanka60.0%
Philippines60.0%
Thailand60.0%
Sudan50.0%
Romania40.0%
Hungary40.0%
Slovakia40.0%
Iraq40.0%
Denmark30.0%
Sweden30.0%
Estonia30.0%
Belarus30.0%
Latvia30.0%
Liberia30.0%
Bhutan30.0%
India30.0%
Iran30.0%
Palestine30.0%
Nepal30.0%
Vietnam30.0%
Yemen30.0%
Brazil30.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source7

Ancestry or ethnicity

Immigrants; official SSB table 09817; reference date 1 January 2026 · 2026-01-01

Published groupPeopleShare
Total2,65512.0%
Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions1,5897.2%
Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand1,0664.8%
Ukraine5282.4%
Poland3221.5%
Russia1900.9%
Thailand1220.6%
Afghanistan1200.5%
Finland1070.5%
Syria990.5%
Sweden970.4%
Show 84 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Lithuania840.4%
Philippines780.3%
Germany630.3%
Denmark510.2%
Eritrea450.2%
Latvia430.2%
Romania310.1%
Türkiye310.1%
United Kingdom290.1%
Iceland260.1%
Congo260.1%
Estonia250.1%
Somalia240.1%
Italy220.1%
Hungary190.1%
Slovakia190.1%
Spain180.1%
United States180.1%
Ethiopia170.1%
Sudan170.1%
Bulgaria140.1%
Lebanon140.1%
Brazil140.1%
Netherlands130.1%
India130.1%
Iran130.1%
Belarus120.1%
Rwanda120.1%
Bhutan120.1%
France110.1%
China110.1%
Kenya100.1%
South Sudan100.1%
Portugal90.0%
Czech Republic90.0%
Serbia90.0%
Iraq90.0%
Croatia80.0%
Moldova80.0%
Uganda80.0%
South Korea80.0%
Pakistan80.0%
Kosovo70.0%
Nepal70.0%
Sri Lanka60.0%
Palestine60.0%
Libya50.0%
Cuba50.0%
Belgium40.0%
Switzerland40.0%
Ghana40.0%
Liberia40.0%
Zambia40.0%
Vietnam40.0%
Greenland30.0%
Faroe Islands30.0%
Albania30.0%
Greece30.0%
Slovenia30.0%
Bosnia-Herzegovina30.0%
North Macedonia30.0%
Burundi30.0%
Egypt30.0%
Guinea30.0%
Nigeria30.0%
Armenia30.0%
Azerbaijan30.0%
Bangladesh30.0%
Myanmar30.0%
Georgia30.0%
Indonesia30.0%
Israel30.0%
Kazakhstan30.0%
Kyrgyzstan30.0%
Saudi Arabia30.0%
Tajikistan30.0%
Uzbekistan30.0%
Yemen30.0%
Canada30.0%
Mexico30.0%
Argentina30.0%
Colombia30.0%
Australia30.0%
New Zealand30.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source7

Ancestry or ethnicity

Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents; official SSB table 09817; reference date 1 January 2026 · 2026-01-01

Published groupPeopleShare
Total2,88913.1%
Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions1,7487.9%
Nordic countries except Norway, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand1,1415.2%
Ukraine5402.5%
Poland3481.6%
Russia2111.0%
Afghanistan1530.7%
Thailand1280.6%
Finland1140.5%
Syria1060.5%
Sweden990.5%
Show 85 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Lithuania950.4%
Philippines840.4%
Germany690.3%
Eritrea550.3%
Denmark530.2%
Latvia450.2%
Romania350.2%
Congo320.1%
Türkiye310.1%
Somalia300.1%
United Kingdom290.1%
Estonia280.1%
Iceland270.1%
Hungary230.1%
Slovakia230.1%
Italy220.1%
Sudan220.1%
Spain190.1%
United States180.1%
Ethiopia170.1%
India160.1%
Pakistan160.1%
Iran150.1%
Brazil150.1%
Bulgaria140.1%
Belarus140.1%
Bhutan140.1%
Lebanon140.1%
Netherlands130.1%
Rwanda130.1%
Iraq130.1%
Sri Lanka120.1%
France110.1%
China110.1%
Serbia100.1%
Kenya100.1%
South Sudan100.1%
Portugal90.0%
Czech Republic90.0%
South Korea90.0%
Palestine90.0%
Nepal90.0%
Croatia80.0%
Moldova80.0%
Uganda80.0%
Kosovo70.0%
Liberia60.0%
Vietnam60.0%
Switzerland50.0%
Ghana50.0%
Libya50.0%
Yemen50.0%
Cuba50.0%
Belgium40.0%
Slovenia40.0%
Zambia40.0%
Kazakhstan40.0%
Greenland30.0%
Faroe Islands30.0%
Albania30.0%
Greece30.0%
Bosnia-Herzegovina30.0%
North Macedonia30.0%
Algeria30.0%
Burundi30.0%
Egypt30.0%
Morocco30.0%
Nigeria30.0%
South Africa30.0%
Armenia30.0%
Azerbaijan30.0%
Bangladesh30.0%
United Arab Emirates30.0%
Georgia30.0%
Indonesia30.0%
Kyrgyzstan30.0%
Malaysia30.0%
Saudi Arabia30.0%
Uzbekistan30.0%
Canada30.0%
Mexico30.0%
Argentina30.0%
Colombia30.0%
Australia30.0%
New Zealand30.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source7

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Registered cars12,702 vehicles31 Dec 2025Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB)18Official
Universities3 institutions31 Dec 2025HK-dir (DBH)13Independent · fylke observation

Alternatives for people set on Alta

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Alternative cities in Norway

Other cities in Norway to compare with Alta, nearest in population first.

All Norway cities
Elverum21,937 residentsStange21,839 residentsNarvik21,647 residentsKlepp21,444 residentsÅs22,725 residentsSunnfjord22,804 residents

How does Alta compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Alta's.

Open the full comparison

Alta in rankings

#2 of 30 in Least densely populated cities #23 of 30 in Cities with lowest unemployment in Norway

Put Alta's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Alta?

The published population was 22,074 people in 2026. Source: SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year..

How safe is Alta?

Police recorded 6,450 incidents per 100,000 (2024-2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: data.ssb.no.

What is the unemployment rate in Alta?

The unemployment rate is 1.8 % (June 2026). Source: NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026.

What is the typical salary around Alta?

The median gross salary is 4,623 EUR/month. Source: data.ssb.no.

How many foreign residents live in Alta?

2,889 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: SSB 09817 B-C / country background Total / Persons.

Is Alta a good place to live?

Alta may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people are in the Europe except EU/EFTA/UK, Africa, Asia, America except USA and Canada, Oceania except Australia and New Zealand, polar regions ancestry or ethnicity group in Alta?

The official ancestry or ethnicity distribution records 159 people (0.7%) in the source-defined population for 2026-01-01. This is a ancestry or ethnicity measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Alta, Norway: population, salary, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version fa3a7956c0f2f2ae7c185536e709e09f]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/no/alta/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_alta-norway-population-salary-cost-of-living-jobs_767dfd568521,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Alta, Norway: population, salary, cost of living, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {fa3a7956c0f2f2ae7c185536e709e09f},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/no/alta/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Alta, Norway: population, salary, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/no/alta/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version fa3a7956c0f2f2ae7c185536e709e09f; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. data.ssb.no data.ssb.no · checked 2026-08-27
  2. data.ssb.no data.ssb.no · checked 2026-08-27
  3. ice 18GB mobile plan ice.no · checked 2026-09-15
  4. Kartverket kartverket.no · checked 2026-07-14
  5. MET Norway (Meteorologisk institutt) frost.met.no · checked 2026-06-12
  6. NAV HL301 — fully unemployed by county and municipality, June 2026 NAV HL301 · nav.no · checked 2026-07-26
  7. SSB 09817 B-C / country background Total / Persons data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-15
  8. SSB table 11342: municipality population/area by region and year. data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-14
  9. Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-06-12
  10. Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-06-12
Show 10 more sources
  1. Telenor fixed broadband telenor.no · checked 2026-09-15
  2. Helsedirektoratet helsedirektoratet.no · checked 2026-07-14
  3. HK-dir (DBH) dbh.hkdir.no · checked 2026-07-14
  4. MET Norway Frost monthly observations — ALTA LUFTHAVN — 1991-2020 observational normal MET Norway Frost monthly observations · rim.k8s.met.no · checked 2026-07-27
  5. MET Norway Frost monthly observations — ALTA LUFTHAVN — 1991-2020 observational normal MET Norway Frost monthly observations · rim.k8s.met.no · checked 2026-07-27
  6. MET Norway Frost monthly observations — ALTA LUFTHAVN — 1991-2020 observational normal MET Norway Frost monthly observations · rim.k8s.met.no · checked 2026-07-27
  7. MET Norway Frost monthly observations — ALTA LUFTHAVN — 1991-2020 observational normal MET Norway Frost monthly observations · rim.k8s.met.no · checked 2026-07-27
  8. Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-14
  9. Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) data.ssb.no · checked 2026-07-14
  10. Utdanningsdirektoratet udir.no · checked 2026-07-14

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.