The state’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development shared an update to population estimates in Alaska last week. It showed that while Alaska as a whole has more people than last year’s data indicated, the population in Juneau and the Southeast region continues to decline.
State Demographer David Howell said that has a lot to do with the changing demographics in the region.
“Juneau and Southeast in general is quite a bit different than the state as a whole, in that we are a much older population,” he said. “We tend to lose people once they hit that retirement age and so we are seeing a larger percentage of our population leaving just because they’re older.”
According to the data, Juneau’s population in July was nearly 200 people fewer than at the same time just a year before, and more than 800 fewer since 2020.
That’s in line with findings from a study released by the department last month that projected Southeast Alaska will lose nearly a fifth of its population by 2050 — roughly 12,000 people, or the equivalent of Ketchikan and Peterburg’s populations combined.
By 2050, Juneau’s population is expected to drop to around 27,000 people.
Howell also said that the decrease likely comes from a blend of increased outmigration and fewer people having children in the region. A 2024 report by the Juneau Economic Development Council found the over-60 population in Juneau outnumbers the under-20 population.
He pointed to the lack of affordable housing and child care, and the high cost of living as potential reasons why that’s happening.
“I’m not really sure of one thing that we could do to change these trends,” he said. “I know the city is very focused on housing, and I think that it’s not the cure-all, but it definitely can’t hurt to have more affordable housing here in Juneau.”
The new data shows that Juneau’s median age last year was 40. And, between 2024 and 2020, residents under 35 dropped more than 8% while residents 65 and older grew by 21%.
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