Chapter 2 Alaska Boroughs and Census Areas Introduction unified, and although most contain organized cities within the borough boundaries, some do not. Bristol Bay Borough, This chapter presents detailed estimates of population by age, Haines Borough, the Municipality of Skagway, and the City race, and sex for Alaska’s boroughs and census areas. It also and Borough of Yakutat contain no incorporated cities. provides comprehensive analysis of geographic variation for population trends, households, components of change, and The U.S. Census Bureau divides the remaining unorganized population composition. territory, which accounts for about 56 percent of the state’s land area, into 10 census areas for statistical purposes. Boroughs and Census Areas Although these are only statistical units, the federal govern- ment considers them county equivalents. Most census area As of July 1, 2019, the state had 19 organized boroughs, which boundaries follow Alaska Native Regional Corporation and are equivalent to counties in the rest of the United States. The Regional Educational Attendance Area boundaries. All of the three types of boroughs vary by the services they provide and census areas contain incorporated cities. their relationships with city governments. It’s not always possible to make direct historical comparisons The Municipality of Anchorage, the City and Borough of Ju- for each area because of new borough formations and bound- neau, the City and Borough of Sitka, and the City and Borough ary changes over the years. Maps of boroughs and census of Wrangell are unified home rule municipalities where the areas at the time of each decennial census are available upon city government and borough government are merged. request and are also on the Alaska Department of Labor and The other two types are distinguished by the level of services Workforce Development’s Research and Analysis website they are required to provide. These 15 boroughs are not (laborstats.alaska.gov). Figure 2.1 Population by Alaska Region, 1970 to 2019 800,000 600,000 Anchorage/Mat-Su 400,000 Interior 200,000 Gulf Coast Southeast Southwest 0 Northern 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2019 Sources: Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis Section; and U.S. Census Bureau 46 | ALASKA POPULATION OVERVIEW 2019 There were a few major boundary changes in the late 2000s decades. Most growth has been in the state’s urban areas, as and early 2010s. In 2007, the Municipality of Skagway was shown in Figure 2.1, which illustrates how the Anchorage/ formed out of part of the Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon Census Matanuska-Susitna Region’s population has become increas- Area. The remaining area is now the Hoonah-Angoon Census ingly dominant. Area. In 2019, 80 percent of Alaska’s population was in the follow- The City and Borough of Wrangell was formed in 2008 out of ing five boroughs: Municipality of Anchorage (40 percent), the Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area and part of the former Matanuska-Susitna Borough (15 percent), Fairbanks North Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Census Area. The remainder Star Borough (13 percent), Kenai Peninsula Borough (8 per- of the former Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area was renamed cent), and City and Borough of Juneau (4 percent). Figure 2.2 Petersburg Census Area. compares the growth rates of these boroughs by decade back to 1960. The Ketchikan Gateway Borough annexed what remained of the Outer Ketchikan Census Subarea in 2008, except Hyder. Population growth in Alaska has been uneven over the last 30 The Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Census Area was re- years. From 1980 to 1985, the state grew at an average annual named Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area. rate of 6 percent. Because of the economic bust in the late 1980s, the state only grew an average of 0.2 percent annually Petersburg Borough incorporated in January 2013, replacing from 1985 to 1990. During the 1990 to 1995 period, Alaska the former Petersburg Census Area and further changing the grew by an average of almost 2 percent a year. From 1995 to boundaries of Hoonah-Angoon Census Area and Prince of 2000, the rate slowed to just under 1 percent. From 2000 to Wales-Hyder Census Area. 2005, the rate was steady at 1.2 percent per year on average, In 2015, the former Wade Hampton Census Area was renamed which picked up toward the end of the decade to reach an average of 1.3 percent annually from 2005 to 2010. Kusilvak Census Area. Its boundaries remained the same. The state’s population grew by 0.3 percent on average All numbers presented here are based on the Census Bureau’s each year from 2010 to 2019, with the majority of growth 2019 geographic boundaries. in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough’s growth rate was the fastest at an average of 1.9 Population Trends percent annually during the past nine years — more than Alaska’s growth has been strong but varied over recent six times the statewide average. Population growth was also strong in the Municipality of Skagway (1.3 percent) and Kusilvak Census Area (1.0 Figure 2.2 percent). Average Annual Growth Rate, Selected Boroughs, In contrast, the boroughs and census 1960 to 2019 areas with the greatest average annual population losses during the same period 10% were the City and Borough of Yakutat (-2.2 percent), Bristol Bay Borough (-1.5 per- 1960-1970 1970-1980 1980-1990 cent), Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area (-0.8 8% percent), and Aleutians East Borough (-0.7 1990-2000 2000-2010 2010-2019 percent). (See Table 2.1.) 6% Population Density Overall, Alaska’s land area is 16 percent of 4% the entire United States. In 2019, Alaska averaged 1.3 people per square mile, in contrast to 93 people per square mile nationally. These numbers can be mis- 2% leading, however, because high rates of federal, state, and Native land ownership — in addition to limited accessibility — 0% preclude settlement on much of Alaska’s Anchorage Fairbanks North City and Borough Kenai Peninsula Mat-Su Borough land mass. Muncipality Star Borough of Juneau Borough -2% The Municipality of Anchorage’s popu- lation density was by far the highest in Sources: Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis Section; and U.S. Census Bureau ALASKA POPULATION OVERVIEW 2019 | 47 Alaska in 2019, at roughly 170 people per square mile. An- correctional facilities, group homes, nursing homes, and chorage was followed by the Fairbanks North Star Borough homeless shelters. at 13 and the City and Borough of Juneau with 12. The lowest The Aleutians East Borough and Aleutians West Census Area population density was in the Interior Region, with the Yukon- continued to have very large group quarters populations Koyukuk Census Area having 0.04 people per square mile. connected with fishing and the seafood processing industry, Fifteen boroughs and census areas had population densities of with 50 percent of their combined total population in group less than one person per square mile. quarters in 2019. Tables 2.2 to 2.11 provide household and Some borough and census area populations live within a group quarters data for all boroughs and census areas. small part of their total geographic area, so population den- The North Slope Borough had an estimated 2,661 people (27 sity in settled areas may be considerably higher than that of percent of its total population) in group quarters in 2019. This the official boundaries. For example, most of the population was primarily due to 2010 Census counts of employees at of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough is concentrated in the area remote work sites in the borough who were not counted at between the Matanuska and Little Susitna rivers. Population the sites in previous censuses. density in that area is much greater than that of the borough overall; for example, Wasilla had more than 650 people per Other areas with relatively high shares in group quarters were square mile while the borough averaged four. the Denali Borough (6 percent), Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Northwest Arctic Borough, and Fairbanks North Star Borough, each with 5 percent. Group quarters in the Denali Group Quarters Borough, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, and Fairbanks In 2019, 45 percent of Alaska’s group quarters population North Star Borough are largely military. Fairbanks North Star lived in the Municipality of Anchorage and Fairbanks North Borough is also home to a large number of college students in Star Borough. Group quarters in these areas are largely mili- dormitories. Mining accounts for the group quarters popula- tary barracks, University of Alaska dormitories, State of Alaska tion in the Northwest Arctic Borough. Figure 2.3 Map of Total Population Size by Borough and Census Area, 2019 Northwest North Slope Arctic = 1 Percent of Alaska’s Population Yukon-Koyukuk Nome Denali Fairbanks North Star Matanuska-Susitna Southeast Fairbanks Anchorage Valdez- Cordova Kusilvak Haines Skagway Bethel Yakutat Dillingham Juneau Lake & Bristol Bay Hoonah- Peninsula Aleutians East Angoon Petersburg Kenai Sitka Wrangell Aleutians West Peninsula Ketchikan Gateway Kodiak Island Prince of Wales-Hyder Source: Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis Section 48 | ALASKA POPULATION OVERVIEW 2019 Housing Units and Households The Matanuska-Susitna Borough gained the most people from 2010 to 2019 (+17,443), followed by Kenai Peninsula A household includes all the people who occupy a housing Borough (+2,967), and Bethel Census Area (+1,118). The areas unit as their usual place of residence. Tables 2.2 through 2.11 that lost the most net population between 2010 and 2019 provide household data for boroughs and census areas. included Fairbanks North Star Borough (-1,683), Kodiak Island Borough (-591), and Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area (-390).