Fastest Growing Boroughs/Census Areas in Alaska (2026)

Borough/Census Area
Rank
Change (2020) ↓
2026 Pop.
2020 Pop.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough111.69%120,078107,514
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area27%7,3036,825
Kenai Peninsula Borough35.97%62,45658,939
Aleutians West Census Area42.51%5,3075,177
Aleutians East Borough52.01%3,4943,425
Denali Borough61.86%1,6421,612
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area71.27%5,8185,745
Copper River Census Area81.26%2,6492,616
Bristol Bay Borough90.24%829827
Petersburg Borough10-0.79%3,3703,397
Haines Borough11-1.01%2,0682,089
Anchorage Municipality12-1.35%286,941290,877
Bethel Census Area13-1.37%18,41718,672
Nome Census Area14-1.7%9,85510,025
Juneau City and Borough15-1.78%31,63232,204
Sitka City and Borough16-2.09%8,2548,430
Fairbanks North Star Borough17-2.11%93,32095,333
Yakutat City and Borough18-2.79%663682
Lake and Peninsula Borough19-2.97%1,4041,447
Ketchikan Gateway Borough20-3.34%13,44913,913
North Slope Borough21-4.13%10,54611,000
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area22-4.83%2,2482,362
Kodiak Island Borough23-5.19%12,36913,046
Kusilvak Census Area24-5.49%7,9088,367
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area25-6.51%4,9565,301
Wrangell City and Borough26-7.06%1,9762,126
Chugach Census Area27-7.91%6,5227,082
Dillingham Census Area28-9.55%4,3774,839
Northwest Arctic Borough29-9.71%7,0407,797
Skagway Municipality30-10.11%1,1121,237

Alaska Boroughs/Census Areas Growth Overview

Alaska's counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026. Matanuska-Susitna Borough leads with 1.86% annualized growth, followed by Southeast Fairbanks Census Area (1.13%) and Kenai Peninsula Borough (0.97%). The largest counties are Anchorage Municipality (286,941), Matanuska-Susitna Borough (120,078), and Fairbanks North Star Borough (93,320). Of the 30 counties in Alaska, 9 are growing while 21 have experienced population decline. Overall, counties averaged -0.34% annualized growth, with total population growing by 0.12% annually.

Change (2020)

-0.05

-0.025

0

0.025

0.05

0.075