Skagway Borough vs. Alaska Comparative Trends Analysis: Population Growth and Change, 1969-2022 Introduction Skagway Borough: 2022 Population = 1,081 2022 Percent of State = 0.15% Alaska: 2022 Population = 733,583 2022 Percent of U.S. = 0.22% Attracting and retaining people to live, work, raise a family, and retire underlies the economic vitality of any region. Population growth is both a cause--and a consequence--of economic growth. Patterns of population growth and change reflect differences among regions to attract and retain people both as producers and consumers in their economy. The following graphs offer a broad overview of trends in the pattern of population growth and change of the Skagway Borough with comparisons to Alaska and the nation at large. This analysis features alternative approaches toward discussing, diagnosing and comparing the Skagway Borough vs. Alaska's population growth over 1969-2022. The data used are those compiled by the Regional Income and Product Divisions of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce. Population, 2008-2022 Figure 1. Figure 1 tracks the Skagway Borough's annual population for the period 2008-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 15-year period, the Skagway Borough's population rose from 967 in 2008 to 1,081 in 2022, for a net gain of 114, or 11.79%. NOTE: The county and state population totals reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) are from the Bureau of Census midyear (July 1) estimates. These estimates may differ from those prepared independently in some states by various agencies and/or universities. Population, 1969-2022 Figure 2. Figure 2 tracks Alaska's annual population for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate population patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Alaska's population rose from 296,000 in 1969 to 733,583 in 2022, for a net gain of 437,583, or 147.83%. NOTE: The county and state population totals reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) are from the Bureau of Census midyear (July 1) estimates. These estimates may differ from those prepared independently in some states by various agencies and/or universities. Population Indices (2008=100): 2008-2022 Figure 3. Figure 3 shows the Skagway Borough's population growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Alaska, the United States. The growth indices shown here express each region's population in 2008 as a base figure of 100, and the populations in later years as a percentage of the 2008 base figure. This method allows for more direct comparison of differences in population growth between regions that may differ vastly in size. The Skagway Borough's overall population growth was 11.79% over 2008-2022 outpaced Alaska's increase of 6.71%, and outpaced the United States' increase of 9.60%. Population as a Percent of the Alaska Total: 2008-2022 Figure 4. Another interesting and insightful way of highlighting the population growth of the Skagway Borough is to compare its individual percentage contributions to Alaska's statewide population over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's population grew faster, or declined less, than Alaska's population, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly. In 2008, the Skagway Borough's population totaled 0.14% of Alaska's population, while in 2022 it equated to 0.15% thereby yielding a +0.01% share-shift.
Skagway Borough Population: Annual Percent Change, 2009-2022 Figure 5. Figure 5 highlights the short-run pattern of the Skagway Borough's population growth by tracking the year-to-year percent change over 2009-2022. The average annual percent change for the entire 14-year period is also traced on this chart to provide a benchmark for gauging periods of relative high--and relative low--growth against the backdrop of the long-term average. On average, the Skagway Borough's population grew at an annual rate of 0.86% over 2009-2022. The burough recorded its highest growth in 2016 (4.38%) and posted its lowest growth in 2021 (-7.90%). In 2022, the Skagway Borough's population declined by -5.34% Skagway Borough Population: Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 2009-2022 Figure 6. Over the past five decades some buroughs have experienced extreme swings in growth, and often such swings have tended to coincide with the decades themselves. Figure 6 again illustrates the annual percent change in the Skagway Borough's population since 2009, but this time they are overlayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 2010s, and 2020-2022. During the 2010s, the Skagway Borough's annual population growth rate averaged 2.52%. It averaged -4.63% thus far this decade (2020-2022). Population Growth: Average Annual Percent Change by Decade Figure 7. Figure 7 compares the decade average growth rates for the Skagway Borough noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Alaska and the nation. As the chart reveals, the Skagway Borough's average annual population growth led Alaska's average during the 2010s (2.52% vs. 0.51%), and fell below Alaska's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (-4.63% vs. -0.06%). Finally, relative to nationwide population growth trends, the Skagway Borough topped the nation throughout the 2010s (2.52% vs. 0.74%), and posted below the nation over 2020-2022 (-4.63% vs. 0.31%).
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