Alaska’s population declines for first time in decades

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – Recent figures show Alaska’s population declined for the first time since the late 1980s.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports Alaska’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development says the state’s population decreased by 8,900 last year, the fifth year in a row of net migration losses.

The department published the statistics for 2017 in the March edition of Alaska Economic Trends.

The Fairbanks North Star Borough’s population fell by 1,216 in 2017. The borough had a natural increase (birth rate) of 1,118 last year. But a decrease of 2,334 in net migration (in-migration minus out-migration) means the borough’s population decreased.

The report says demographers do expect the borough’s population to grow, thanks to the arrival of F-35s at Eielson Air Force Base.

Within the state, 699 people left Fairbanks for Anchorage, while 475 moved the opposite direction.

Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com

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