Its largest community by far is the city of Dillingham, on a small arm of Bristol Bay on the Bering Sea.

There were 2,332 housing units at an average density of 0 per square mile (0/km2).

The racial makeup of the census area was 21.64% White, 0.37% Black or African American, 70.13% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 6.68% from two or more races.

[10] Of the 1,529 households 45.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.10% were married couples living together, 15.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families.

Dillingham Census Area is quite competitive in presidential elections.