Fastest Growing Counties in Alaska (2026)

County
Rank
Change (2020) ↓
2026 Pop.
2020 Pop.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough113.69%122,247107,522
Bristol Bay Borough212.53%934830
Aleutians East Borough312.03%3,8383,426
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area411.97%7,6436,826
Aleutians West Census Area510.24%5,7585,223
Kenai Peninsula Borough63.84%61,20758,941
Denali Borough73.66%1,6731,614
Haines Borough82.45%2,1362,085
Yakutat City and Borough92.35%698682
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area101.34%5,8225,745
Petersburg Borough111.14%3,4463,407
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area121.1%2,3802,354
Anchorage Municipality130.7%292,936290,905
Sitka City and Borough140.32%8,4578,430
Nome Census Area15-0.91%9,92810,019
Copper River Census Area16-1.26%2,5812,614
Juneau City and Borough17-1.41%31,75032,203
Bethel Census Area18-1.91%18,31318,670
Fairbanks North Star Borough19-1.99%93,45395,349
Ketchikan Gateway Borough20-2.13%13,61513,912
North Slope Borough21-2.35%10,74711,006
Kodiak Island Borough22-3.07%12,64413,044
Dillingham Census Area23-3.43%4,6744,840
Wrangell City and Borough24-3.8%2,0482,129
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area25-5.24%5,0255,303
Kusilvak Census Area26-6.13%7,8568,369
Skagway Municipality27-6.85%1,1551,240
Chugach Census Area28-10.84%6,3147,082
Northwest Arctic Borough29-12.38%6,8307,795
Lake and Peninsula Borough30-12.47%1,2711,452

Alaska Counties Growth Overview

Alaska's counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026. Matanuska-Susitna Borough leads with 2.16% annualized growth, followed by Bristol Bay Borough (1.99%) and Aleutians East Borough (1.91%). The largest counties are Anchorage Municipality (292,936), Matanuska-Susitna Borough (122,247), and Fairbanks North Star Borough (93,453). Of the 30 counties in Alaska, 14 are growing while 16 have experienced population decline. Overall, counties averaged -0.03% annualized growth, with total population growing by 0.32% annually.

Change (2020)

-0.05

-0.025

0

0.025

0.05

0.075