Official Census 2000 data was delivered to Alaska March 19 and for the first time is available online, Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Ed Flanagan announced.

The data from the U.S. Census Bureau consists of Alaska total resident population and the number of Alaskans age 18 and over, listed by race, and Hispanic or Latino origin for the entire state, boroughs, census areas, places, census tracts, block groups, blocks, Alaska Native villages, and voting precincts. In addition to providing a demographic snapshot of the residents of Alaska, the information will be used to realign legislative districts.

"In the past, census results have only been available to the public in printed format," Flanagan said. "This is the first time Alaskans can access census data online. It’s a great example of how we are making the best use of technology to get information to Alaskans quickly." Click here to access census data. For a copy of the CD, contact DOL's Research and Analysis Section at 465-2439.

"We’ve worked hard to have this information ready for the public as soon as we received it," said Ingrid Zaruba, research analyst for the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOL), responsible for census dissemination in Alaska. "The DOL Web site is the best source for Alaska 2000 Census data and we’ll be providing more data as the Census Bureau releases it to us."

Census 2000 was the first census in which respondents could mark one or more races. The six major race groups identified are White, Black or African American, Alaska Native or American Indian, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and some other race. Respondents who selected more than one of the six race groups are included in the "two or more races" population. 

Because of the changes in the racial categories, race data from the 2000 Census are not directly comparable to data from the 1990 Census.