Petersburg is a home rule city within an unincorporated borough. The City's Common Council is made up of six Council Members and a Mayor, elected at large by the community. They are responsible for modifying the municipal code as needed and establishing an annual city budget. The day-to-day operation is the responsibility of a City Manager and their staff, working under direction of the Council.

Petersburg's 2003 official population was 3,060. There are an additional 200 people on Mitkof Island who live outside the city limits. For more detailed populations, social and economic information, visit the State of Alaska's Community Databases at:

http://www.dced.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/CF_BLOCK.htm

City Power comes from both Tyee Lake, a hydroelectric plant shared with Wrangell, and Crystal Lake, a small hydroelectric plant on Mitkof Island. Diesel generators are available for back-up power.

City water is obtained from Cabin Creek Reservoir, eight miles southeast of Petersburg. The City provides water treatment, wastewater treatment, and solid waste collection.

City of Petersburg web site: http://ci.petersburg.ak.us/