In 1826, the Wainwright Lagoon was named by Capt. F.W. Beechey for his officer, Lt. John Wainwright. A map of 1853 indicates the name of the village as "Olrona." It's Inupiat name was "Olgoonik." The region around Wainwright was traditionally well-populated, though the present village was not established until 1904, when the Alaska Native Service built a school here and instituted medical and other services. The site was reportedly chosen by the captain of the ship delivering school construction materials, because sea-ice conditions were favorable for landing. A post office was established in 1916, and a city was formed in 1962. Coal was mined at several nearby sites for village use, the closest about 7 miles away. Today, though, most houses are heated by fuel oil. A U.S. Air Force Distance Early Warning (DEW) Station was constructed nearby.
A federally recognized tribe is located in the community -- the Village of Wainwright. 93% of the population are Alaska Native or part Native. The majority of the population are Inupiat Eskimos who practice a subsistence lifestyle. Their ancestors were the Utukamiut (people of the Utukok River) and Kukmiut (people of the Kuk River.) The sale or importation of alcohol is banned in the village.

During the 2000 U.S. Census, there were 179 total housing units, and 31 were vacant. 4 of these vacant housing units are used only seasonally. 204 residents were employed. The unemployment rate at that time was 21.84%, although 47.01% of all adults were not in the work force. The median household income was $54,722, per capita income was $16,710, and 12.54% of residents were living below the poverty level.

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