Background on the Matanuska-Susitna Borough:

Incorporated in 1964, the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Borough encompasses 24,502 square milesof land, and contains an estimated 77,174 people (2006) . The Borough's population is geographically diverse, with 50% of its population living in the incorporated cities of Palmer, Wasilla, and Houston, and the remainder living in more remote areas.

Although the Mat-Su Borough remains the state's largest agricultural producer, the bulk of employment growth for Mat-Su residents over the last 40 years has taken place within the nearby Municipality of Anchorage. Unemployment is estimated at 7.1% for 2007.

The three largest employers in the Mat-Su Borough are the Mat-Su School District, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, and Wal-Mart.

Law enforcement is handled by city police departments in Palmer and Wasilla, with all other areas being serviced by the Alaska State Troopers. Medical Services are provided by a single hospital, a number of clinics and practitioners, and emergency medical and fire services are provided by paid, on-call responders.

Mat-Su Community Data

MSB Community Survey 2006.sav: The data collected during the 2006 MSB Community Survey in SPSS format. Note that all identifying information has been stripped from the dataset to comply with the requirements of the Insitutional Review Board and the wishes of the survey participants.

MSB Community Survey 2007 Pubfile.sav: The data collected during the 2007 MSB Community Survey in SPSS format. Note that all identifying information has been stripped from the dataset to comply with the requirements of the Insitutional Review Board and the wishes of the survey participants.

Mat-Su Community Publications

Farrell, Chad and Langworthy, Robert H. (2006). The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey, 2006: A Sourcebook of Community Attitudes. Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage. The results of the 2006 MSB Community Survey broken down by question.

Evans, Shel Llee and Langworthy, Robert H. (2007). The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey, 2007: A Sourcebook of Community Attitudes. Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage. The results of the 2007 MSB Community Survey broken down by question.

Related articles

Evans, Shel Llee. (Fall 2007). "Mat-Su Community Survey." Alaska Justice Forum 24(3): 5–6.