# Matanuska-Susitna, Alaska: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy Home to Wasilla, Palmer and Houston Matanuska-Susitna is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Construction employs 3,756, up 50.5% since 2019, and construction is 2.4 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Matanuska-Susitna is home to Wasilla, Palmer and Houston. Unemployment was 3.5% in August 2026, against 6.3% in 2019. Employers here counted 29,978 jobs in 2025, up 22.4% from 2019 (the 3rd fastest growth of 28 Alaska counties). Next door, Anchorage has 2 data centers. +22.4% total jobs since 2019, now 29,978 2.4× the U.S. share of jobs in construction +9.9% electrical contractor jobs since 2019, now 300 ## Cities and towns in Matanuska-Susitna Matanuska-Susitna is home to Wasilla, Palmer and Houston. Wasilla10,556 residents Palmer6,710 residents Houston2,267 residents Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Big Lake, Buffalo Soapstone, Butte, Chase, Chickaloon, Eureka Roadhouse, Farm Loop, Fishhook, Gateway, Glacier View, Knik River, Knik-Fairview, Lake Louise, Lazy Mountain, Meadow Lakes, North Lakes, Petersville, Point MacKenzie, Skwentna, South Lakes, Susitna, Susitna North, Sutton-Alpine, Talkeetna, Tanaina, Trapper Creek, Willow. Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities. ## What changed in Matanuska-Susitna | Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Alaska | |---|---|---|---|---| | Population (2020 → 2025) | 107,514 | 118,666 | ▲ 10.4% | 2nd of 28 by size | | Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 24,486 | 29,978 | ▲ 22.4% | 3rd of 28 by growth | | Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,158 | $61,212 | ▲ 35.6% | — | | Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 2,495 | 3,756 | ▲ 50.5% | 2nd of 8 by growth | | Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 273 | 300 | ▲ 9.9% | — | | Power line construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 210 | 248 | ▲ 18.1% | — | | Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 6.3% | 3.5% | ▼ 2.8pts | — | | Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 6 MW | | — | | Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | | — | Electrical contractors employ 300, at an average $89,462 a year. 6 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. 118,666 people live here, up 10.4% since 2020, 2nd of 28 Alaska counties by population. Its power plants have 50 MW of capacity, 88% of it hydro. Matanuska Electric Assn Inc is the largest utility serving Matanuska-Susitna. Its residential customers paid an average 23.37¢/kWh in 2024, below the 26.58¢ median for Alaska utilities. ## Who powers Matanuska-Susitna ### Utilities with service territory in Matanuska-Susitna | Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Matanuska Electric Assn Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 64,205 | 23.37¢ | 41% | Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers. ### Operating power plants | Technology | Capacity | Share | |---|---|---| | Hydro | 44 MW | 88% | | Solar | 6 MW | 12% | | Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since | |---|---|---|---|---| | Eklutna Hydro Project | Chugach Electric Assn Inc | Hydro | 44 MW | 1955 | | Houston Solar | Energy 49, LLC | Solar | 6 MW | 2023 | ## The Matanuska-Susitna labor market | Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. | |---|---|---|---| | All industries | 29,978 | $61,212 | 1.00 | | Construction | 3,756 | $100,878 | 2.36 | | Electrical contractors | 300 | $89,462 | 1.39 | | Power and communication line construction | 248 | $131,531 | 5.12 | Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out. ## Data centers and local rules in Matanuska-Susitna No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Matanuska-Susitna. Alaska has 3 local measures on record statewide. ## Matanuska-Susitna and its neighbors Of the 7 counties that border Matanuska-Susitna, Anchorage carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined. [[[[[[[ | County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Matanuska-Susitna | 118,666 | ▲ 22.4% | 50 MW | — | — | — | | Anchorage](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/anchorage) | 287,155 | ▲ 0.4% | 869 MW | — | 2 | — | | Bethel](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/bethel) | 18,391 | ▼ 9.7% | 32 MW | — | — | — | | Denali](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/denali) | 1,616 | ▼ 1.8% | 117 MW | — | — | — | | Kenai Peninsula](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/kenai-peninsula) | 61,951 | ▲ 10.3% | 750 MW | — | — | — | | Southeast Fairbanks](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/southeast-fairbanks) | 7,270 | ▲ 27.2% | 43 MW | — | 1 | — | | Valdez-Cordova](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/valdez-cordova) | — | — | 58 MW | — | — | — | | Yukon-Koyukuk](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/yukon-koyukuk) | 5,028 | ▲ 2.5% | 7 MW | — | — | — | ## More of Alaska [All Alaska countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska)[Anchorage287,155 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/anchorage)[Kenai Peninsula61,951 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/kenai-peninsula)[Bethel18,391 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/bethel)[Southeast Fairbanks7,270 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/southeast-fairbanks)[Yukon-Koyukuk5,028 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/yukon-koyukuk) ## Matanuska-Susitna, answered from the record ### Who provides electricity in Matanuska-Susitna, Alaska? 1 utility has service territory in Matanuska-Susitna in the EIA-861 2024 report: Matanuska Electric Assn Inc. The largest, Matanuska Electric Assn Inc, charged residential customers 23.37¢/kWh on average in 2024. ### What county is Wasilla, AK in? Wasilla is in Matanuska-Susitna, Alaska. About 10,556 people live there (2025 Census estimate). ### What power plants are in Matanuska-Susitna? 2 operating plants with 50 MW of capacity. The largest is Eklutna Hydro Project (44 MW, hydro). ### Are there data centers in Matanuska-Susitna? The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Matanuska-Susitna. The nearest activity on record is next door in Anchorage. ### Is Matanuska-Susitna adding jobs? Employers counted 29,978 jobs in 2025 against 24,486 in 2019 (+22.4%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 2,495 to 3,756. ### Does Matanuska-Susitna have a data center moratorium? No county-level measure is on record for Matanuska-Susitna. Alaska has 3 local measures statewide, listed on the state page. --- Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/alaska/matanuska-susitna Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).