Boroughs & Population Of Alaska

Alaska is split up into Boroughs (counties) with 19 organized boroughs and one unorganized borough in the state. It is the only state in the union that uses boroughs and not counties.

The unorganized borough makes up the majority of the state which encompasses 323,440 square miles. Within that area, the population from 2020 was 77,157.

The communities within the unorganized borough consist of Bethel, Unalaska and Valdez. In the map below, the yellow boxes consist of the unorganized borough.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

• Aleutians East Borough
• Anchorage Borough

B

• Bristol Bay Borough

D

• Denali Borough

F

• Fairbanks North Star Borough

H

• Haines Borough

J

• Juneau Borough

K

• Kenai Peninsula Borough
• Ketchikan Gateway Borough
• Kodiak Island Borough

L

• Lake and Peninsula Borough

M

• Matanuska-Susitna Borough

N

• North Slope Borough
• Northwest Arctic Borough

P

• Petersburg Borough

S

• Sitka Borough
• Skagway Borough
• Southeast Fairbanks Census Area

V

• Valdez-Cordova Census Area

W

• Wrangell Borough

Y

• Yakutat City and Borough
• Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area

Alaska’s 5 Larges Boroughs By Population

1. Anchorage Borough – 287,145
2. Matanuska-Susitna Borough – 113,325
3. Fairbanks North Star Borough – 95,356
4. Kenai Peninsula Borough – 60,690
5. Juneau City and Borough – 31,685

The Boroughs In Alaska By Population

There are 19 boroughs in Alaska with 1 unorganized borough that combine for a total population for the state at 733,583 (2022). There are only 2 (counties) that have a population of over 100,000 and they include Anchorage Municipality and Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

The data below covers the population from all 19 boroughs and 11 census areas that make up the 1 unorganized borough, from the 2021 census conducted by the US Census Bureau. We have included population estimates for 2022 and noted the changes in populations for each borough or area in Alaska.

It’s worth noting that many areas are showing a decline in population, but main population hubs like Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula have shown a large increase in their numbers from just two years of data.

Alaska draws people who may be touring the state, who then go home and make a plan to move up to Alaska.

Overall, Alaska’s population has been declining since peaking at 742,575 in 2016 as more people are leaving the state than people moving up to Alaska. Alaska’s last population estimate for 2022 stands at 736,556, provided by Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Borough	Population Total (2020)	Population Total (2022)	Change (2022)
Aleutians East Borough	3,420	3,398	-22
Anchorage Borough	291,247	287,145	-4,102
Bristol Bay Borough	844	865	21
Denali Borough	1,619	1,585	-34
Fairbanks North Star Borough	95,655	95,356	-299
Haines Borough	2,080	2,056	-24
Juneau Borough	33,255	31,685	-1,570
Kenai Peninsula Borough	58,799	60,690	1,891
Ketchikan Gateway Borough	13,948	13,741	-207
Kodiak Island Borough	13,101	12,720	-381
Lake and Peninsula Borough	1,476	1,381	95
Matanuska-Susitna Borough	107,081	113,325	6,244
North Slope Borough	11,031	10,805	-226
Northwest Arctic Borough	7,793	7,423	-370
Petersburg Borough	3,398	3,360	-38
Sitka Borough	8,458	8,382	-76
Skagway Borough	1,240	1,081	-159
Wrangell Borough	2,127	2,070	-57
Yakutat City and Borough	662	700	38

The below chart are populations of the Census Areas in Alaska

Census Area	Population Total (2020)	Population Total (2022)	Change (2022)
Aleutians West	5,232	5,122	-110
Bethel	18,666	18,257	-409
Chugach	7,102	6,874	-228
Copper River	2,617	2,589	-28
Dillingham	4,857	4,723	-134
Hoonah-Angoon	2,365	2,287	-78
Kusilvak	8,368	8,278	-90
Nome	10,046	9,835	-211
Prince of Wales-Hyder	5,753	5,650	-103
Southeast Fairbanks	6,808	7,021	213
Yukon-Koyukuk	5,343	5,179	-164