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 8.8% for 2009.

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.

Recent publications

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey, 2008: A Sourcebook of Community Attitudes by Sharon Chamard. Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage, 2008.

"Collective Efficacy and Fear of Crime in the Mat-Su Borough" by Sharon Chamard. Alaska Justice Forum 25(4): 4–7 (Winter 2009).

Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey

The annual Mat-Su Community Survey is a collaboration between the Mat-Su Borough and the UAA Justice Center to collect information about satisfaction with Borough services, household aspirations, and household composition. These data will be used by Borough decision-makers to prioritize projects, improve services, and better plan for the future growth of the Mat-Su Borough. The Justice Center will use these data to support research efforts leading to more complete understanding of the nature of change in the Borough and its implications for the future.

See the index pages for each survey for a complete list of reports, articles, codebooks, and data files:

• Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey 2006
• Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey 2007
• Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey 2008
• Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey 2009: Currently in progress.

Additionally, see the Justice Center's Community surveys bibliography for a complete list of Justice Center reports and articles from various community surveys, including the Mat-Su Community Survey.

Mat-Su Community Data

Data files from the annual Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Survey are available here for the use of justice and other social science researchers. Information provided here includes data in SPSS format. Data files are also locatable from the index pages for the individual projects.