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April 30, 2007
FAIRBANKS - A population survey conducted for the Fairbanks North Star Borough by Information Insights indicates that the number of residents in the borough may be close to 12 percent higher than previously estimated.
The survey was commissioned by the FNSB to challenge Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development population estimates that the borough felt did not accurately reflect the amount of construction activity seen in the borough.
Information Insights worked closely with the Department of Commerce and Economic Development on acceptable methodology and with the borough to determine the number of year-round residences constructed since the U.S. Census of 2000. To determine a per-household population Information Insights performed a phone survey of over two thousand households. During the course of the study Information Insights determined that a significant factor in the discrepancy between population estimates is the large number of small cabins within the borough, many of which are clustered on single lots and are not reflected in building records. The final calculation placed the population of the Fairbanks North Star Borough at 98,107, an increase of 11.7% over the previous estimate of 87,849.
Department of Labor population figures are frequently used in the allocation of funding for state programs. The FNSB Assembly received the survey results at their April 26 th meeting and approved sending the survey data to DCED for review and approval.
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