Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK elected officials: borough assembly, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Matanuska-Susitna Borough: 27 seats on 5 elected bodies. 6 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
How many local governments Matanuska-Susitna Borough has
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 4 local governments in Matanuska-Susitna Borough. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
1
Cities, towns, villages and townships
3
2
School districts (school boards)
0
1
Special districts (elected boards)
0
0
Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).
About these counts
The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments (1 in Matanuska-Susitna Borough), though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.
Who lives in Matanuska-Susitna Borough
112,988people
36.7median ageU.S.: 38.9
$94,031 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
10%below the U.S.: 12.5%
24.4%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$346,600median home valueU.S.: $332,700
5.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
2.9%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
13.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
11.9%U.S.: 8.4%
52.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
30.3%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.4% · White 75.7% · Black 1.1% · Asian 1.6% · Other or more than one race 16.2% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).
About these figures
The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.
Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.
Jobs in Matanuska-Susitna Borough
4.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.2%. Alaska: 3.9%.
49,898people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
52,005in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
4.1%
2,107
49,898
52,005
August 2026
3.5%
1,832
49,968
51,800
July 2026
3.8%
1,999
50,566
52,565
June 2026
4.5%
2,361
50,567
52,928
May 2026
4.3%
2,252
50,679
52,931
April 2026
5.1%
2,732
50,368
53,100
March 2026
5.0%
2,679
51,100
53,779
February 2026
5.4%
2,930
50,860
53,790
January 2026
5.7%
3,101
51,025
54,126
December 2025
5.2%
2,812
51,675
54,487
November 2025
5.3%
2,894
51,789
54,683
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.2%
2,237
50,565
52,802
August 2025
3.9%
2,020
50,206
52,226
July 2025
4.5%
2,366
49,984
52,350
June 2025
5.3%
2,820
50,061
52,881
May 2025
4.7%
2,516
50,509
53,025
April 2025
5.2%
2,771
50,513
53,284
March 2025
5.6%
3,003
50,673
53,676
February 2025
5.9%
3,148
50,177
53,325
January 2025
5.8%
3,094
50,523
53,617
December 2024
5.0%
2,671
51,092
53,763
November 2024
5.0%
2,711
51,270
53,981
October 2024
4.3%
2,264
50,766
53,030
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
5.1%
2,698
50,607
53,305
2024
4.9%
2,591
50,062
52,653
2023
4.8%
2,475
49,340
51,815
2022
4.9%
2,502
48,558
51,060
2021
6.7%
3,335
46,258
49,593
2020
8.8%
4,179
43,184
47,363
2019
6.3%
2,991
44,242
47,233
2018
7.1%
3,328
43,855
47,183
2017
7.9%
3,757
43,711
47,468
2016
8.0%
3,716
42,864
46,580
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Alaska's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.3% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.
Crime reported in Matanuska-Susitna Borough
320.9 per 100,0002025. Alaska: 729.3.
2,624.2 per 100,0002025. Alaska: 1,892.8.
0murders2025, 56 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
56
320.9
458
2,624.2
2024
61
363.7
332
1,979.4
2023
69
417.7
466
2,820.7
2022
83
515.1
414
2,569.2
2021
77
395.7
372
1,911.9
2020
96
508.8
425
2,252.4
2019
69
374.9
784
4,259.7
2018
87
485.4
881
4,914.9
2017
74
428.3
708
4,097.9
2016
84
507.7
655
3,959.1
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Wasilla Police Department
2025
44
367
10,643
Palmer Police Department
2025
12
91
6,810
Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in Alaska · the U.S.
Police staffing
2.64 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 17,453 people.
46sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
16civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Wasilla Police Department
29
7
10,643
Palmer Police Department
17
9
6,810
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
46
2.64
16
2
2024
44
2.62
13
2
2023
45
2.72
14
2
2022
39
2.42
12
2
2021
39
2.00
12
2
2020
40
2.12
14
2
2019
39
2.12
44
2
2018
39
2.18
44
2
2017
37
2.14
40
2
2016
38
2.30
42
2
Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.
Quick answers
Who are the Matanuska-Susitna Borough commissioners?
Bill Gamble (Assembly Member); Dee McKee (Assembly Member); Dmitri Fonov (Assembly Member); Maxwell Sumner (Assembly Member); Michael Bowles (Assembly Member); Ron Bernier (Assembly Member); Stephanie Nowers (Assembly Member); Edna DeVries (Mayor).
Who is on the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board?
Thomas Bergey (Seat 1); Kathy McCollum (Seat 3); Andrew Shane (Seat 4); Ole Larson (Seat 6); Lorie Colee (Seat 7).
What is the population of Matanuska-Susitna Borough?
About 112,988 people, with a median age of 36.7; the median household income is $94,031 and 10% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Matanuska-Susitna Borough?
4.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 2,107 people unemployed in a labor force of 52,005, against 4.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Matanuska-Susitna Borough?
4 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county and 3 municipal governments.
What cities and towns are in Matanuska-Susitna Borough?
2: Palmer, Wasilla. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs' elected officials data; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.
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