List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska

Alaska boroughs and census areas

Map of Alaska highlighting the Unorganized Borough

List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska

Alaska, the largest state in the United States by area, is divided into 19 organized boroughs and 1 unorganized borough, which is divided into 10 census areas. Unlike counties in the rest of the United States, Alaska's boroughs do not cover the entire land area of the state. The area not part of any borough is referred to as the Unorganized Borough.

The Alaska Legislature adopted the borough system in 1961 to provide a more efficient form of government for the state's widely dispersed population. Boroughs in Alaska perform functions similar to counties in other states, including property tax assessment, law enforcement, and road maintenance.

Organized Boroughs

Organized boroughs in Alaska have their own local government, similar to cities or counties in other states. These boroughs are:

1. Aleutians East Borough
2. Anchorage Municipality
3. Bristol Bay Borough
4. Denali Borough
5. Fairbanks North Star Borough
6. Haines Borough
7. Juneau, City and Borough of
8. Kenai Peninsula Borough
9. Ketchikan Gateway Borough
10. Kodiak Island Borough
11. Lake and Peninsula Borough
12. Matanuska-Susitna Borough
13. North Slope Borough
14. Northwest Arctic Borough
15. Petersburg Borough
16. Sitka, City and Borough of
17. Skagway Municipality
18. Wrangell, City and Borough of
19. Yakutat, City and Borough of

Unorganized Borough

The Unorganized Borough is the part of Alaska not contained within any of the state's 19 organized boroughs. It covers more than half of Alaska's land area. The Unorganized Borough does not have a borough-level government but is divided into 10 census areas for statistical purposes:

1. Aleutians West Census Area
2. Bethel Census Area
3. Dillingham Census Area
4. Hoonah-Angoon Census Area
5. Nome Census Area
6. Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area
7. Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
8. Valdez-Cordova Census Area
9. Wade Hampton Census Area
10. Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area

Administration and Services

In organized boroughs, local governments provide a range of services such as education, transportation, public safety, and health services. In contrast, the Unorganized Borough receives services directly from the state government or through tribal organizations.

See Also

• Local government in Alaska
• Alaska political divisions