The statistics show a population increase from 2006 to 2009 of 13.7 percent, according to Forbes.
But I suspect what is really going on here is the fuss former Borough Mayor Jim Whitaker stirred up led to a recalculation of the local population and a sizable increase in the local estimate three years ago has created statistical confusion.
Whitaker argued that instead of a population in the 87,000-range, he figured the right number was closer to 100,000.
The borough argued that the 2000 Census missed a lot of people in the Fairbanks area. The Census Bureau accepted the borough’s argument and raised the local population estimate.
But a recalculation is not the same as a population increase.
Forbes wrote the story based on Census Bureau stats, but the reporter interpreted the change incorrectly.
The population here did not go up from 86,754 in 2006 to 98,660 in 2009. But the population estimate for 2006 was revised after the fact from 86,754 to 94,803.
The 2009 population is estimated at 98,660 by the Census Bureau, a much smaller gain.
We’ll have the 2010 estimates, based on the actual count last spring and summer, before long.
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LEAP FORWARD: In the 2000 Census Alaska was No. 48 on the population rankings of the 50 states, ahead of Vermont and Wyoming.
For the 2010 Census, Alaska has jumped to No. 47 on the top 50, ahead of North Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.
The Alaska population, according to the census, is 710,231, up from 626,932 a decade ago.
North Dakota has 672,591 people, up from 642,200 in 2000.
Vermont has 625,741 people, while Wyoming, the least populous state, has 563,626.
The state just ahead of Alaska on the population table is South Dakota, which has 814,180.
Alaska also has 11,292 overseas U.S. military and federal civilian employees and dependents. This is a high number for a state with a low population.
Kentucky, for instance, has a population of more than 4 million, yet it has only 11,239 overseas residents.
The high Alaska “overseas” number is probably a function of people keeping Alaska as a home state to qualify for the Permanent Fund Dividend. This is allowed under Alaska law.
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RUNNING HARD: Fairbanksan Matthew Mund is hoping you can help him help others. Mund, who went to school at Woodriver, Tanana and West Valley, is planning to run a marathon in Phoenix on Jan. 16 to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Mund has finished his college studies at American University and is looking for donations to support the fight against blood-borne cancer. When he was a student in Fairbanks, Mund was active in the Bethel Baptist Church and in the Circle K organization, so assisting others is nothing new to him.
If you can help, write him at Mund75@hotmail.com for more information or call 701-260-2508.
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STEVENS TRIBUTE: Hawaii Sen. Dan Inouye wrote a tribute to the late Sen. Ted Stevens in Time magazine’s “Fond Farewell” section.
Inouye said he and Stevens “disagreed more often than we agreed” on policy issues, but they were never disagreeable with each other.
“Senator Stevens and I worked together to ensure that the noncontiguous states of Hawaii and Alaska were not forgotten by the Lower 48 and to ensure the nation awoke to the importance of the Pacific to our economy and our international relations,” he said.
“Ted Stevens was an extraordinary American. He risked his life as an airman in China, supporting the Flying Tigers in World War II. He served in the Senate from 1968 to 2008 — the longest term of any Republican in history. He became a leader in the Senate, as chairman of the Defense Appropriations Sub-committee, chairman of the Commerce Committee, chairman of the Appropriations Committee and president pro tem.
“He was my brother. I will never forget him,” Inouye wrote.
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