Census data show population growth throughout Susitna Valley

Data from the 2020 U.S. Census is starting to come out, and nearly all Northern Susitna Valley communities grew since the last official census in 2010.

According to the new counts, more than 5,300 people live in the communities of Willow, Talkeetna, Trapper Creek, and Chase.  Chase is the only community to have lost population in the last decade.  Meanwhile, Talkeetna now has more than 1,000 official residents.

The growth in the Northern Valley comes alongside similar growth in the Mat-Su Borough as a whole.  The borough’s population has jumped from around 90,000 to more than 107,000, according to census data posted by the Alaska Department of Labor.

Part of the significance of a new census is the re-drawing of areas represented by legislative seats.  Alaska contains forty state house districts.  All of the areas with the largest growth in the state are in the Mat-Su.  District 10, which includes the Northern Valley, had the second-most growth in the state, according to data posted by the Alaska Redistricting Board.

The Alaska Constitution calls for house districts to be divided as evenly as possible in terms of population.  While many areas of the state lost population, and now fall under the 18,355 resident ideal size, every district in the Mat-Su now exceeds that size.

A formal report on population changes throughout the state over the last decade will be made to the redistricting board on August 23rd.