BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

03/17/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/17/2026 09:15

County Employment and Wages in Alaska — Third Quarter 2025

News Release Information

26-513-SAN
Tuesday, March 17, 2026

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County Employment and Wages in Alaska - Third Quarter 2025

Employment fell 0.3 percent in Alaska's only large county equivalent, Anchorage Municipality, from September 2024 to September 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the rate of employment change in Anchorage ranked 223rd among the 364 largest U.S. counties with published data. (See table 1.)

Employment in Anchorage stood at 150,300 in September 2025, accounting for 43.9 percent of total employment in Alaska. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.2 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)

Large county average weekly wages in the third quarter 2025

The average weekly wage in Anchorage increased 4.0 percent over the year to $1,492. The national average was $1,459, up 4.7 percent over the year. Anchorage's weekly wage ranked 75th nationally, and the percent change ranked 177th among the largest U.S. counties.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the third quarter of 2025

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 29 small county equivalents in Alaska, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) These smaller county equivalents include 17 boroughs, 11 census areas, and 1 municipality. Wage levels for 21 of 29 smaller counties were below the national average. North Slope Borough reported the highest average weekly wage ($2,522). Kusilvak Census Area reported the lowest average weekly wage ($868) in the state.

Among all 30 Alaska counties, 5 reported average weekly wages of less than $1,150, 9 had wages from $1,150 to $1,324, 8 had wages from $1,325 to $1,499, and 8 had average weekly wages of $1,500 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)

Map 1. Average weekly wages by borough in Alaska, third quarter 2025

(U.S. average = $1,459)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.

Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The County Employment and Wages release for the fourth quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the largest county in Alaska, third quarter 2025
Area Establishments,
third quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2025
(thousands) 		Percent change,
September
2024-25 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3) 		Third quarter
2025 ($) 		National ranking
by level (3) 		Percent change,
third quarter
2024-25 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

12,353.8 155,767.7 0.1 -- 1,459 -- 4.7 --

Alaska

25.3 342.4 -0.1 -- 1,455 13 5.3 7

Anchorage

8.7 150.3 -0.3 223 1,492 75 4.0 177

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Alaska, third quarter 2025
Area Establishments Employment September 2025 Average weekly wage ($) (1)

United States (2)

12,353,804 155,767,691 1,459

Alaska

25,286 342,409 1,455

Aleutians East Borough

92 1,942 1,560

Aleutians West Census Area

156 3,802 1,721

Anchorage

8,740 150,286 1,492

Bethel Census Area

301 6,351 1,067

Bristol Bay Borough

119 1,126 1,616

Chugach Census Area

402 3,995 1,514

Copper River Census Area

147 1,587 1,121

Denali Borough

148 2,840 1,246

Dillingham Census Area

153 2,139 1,456

Fairbanks North Star Borough

2,486 37,591 1,414

Haines Borough

169 1,269 1,111

Hoonah-Angoon Census Area

141 1,264 1,125

Juneau City and Borough

1,172 18,689 1,417

Kenai Peninsula Borough

2,418 22,623 1,274

Ketchikan Gateway Borough

641 7,863 1,328

Kodiak Island Borough

476 5,702 1,311

Kusilvak Census Area

123 2,166 868

Lake and Peninsula Borough

109 894 1,180

Mantanuska-Susitna Borough

2,904 31,016 1,212

Nome Census Area

294 3,932 1,645

North Slope Borough

230 12,344 2,522

Northwest Arctic Borough

151 3,183 1,696

Petersburg Borough

177 1,307 1,345

Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area

240 2,272 1,226

Sitka City and Borough

422 4,810 1,361

Skagway

110 1,378 1,166

Southeast Fairbanks Census Area

254 3,150 1,831

Wrangell City and Borough

101 852 1,188

Yakutat City and Borough

44 351 1,331

Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area

245 2,334 1,155

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, third quarter 2025
State Establishments,
third quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
September 2025
(thousands) 		Percent change,
September
2024-25 		Third quarter
2025 ($) 		National ranking
by level 		Percent change,
third quarter
2024-25 		National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

12,353.8 155,767.7 0.1 1,459 -- 4.7 --

Alabama

165.7 2,119.0 0.6 1,212 36 3.6 38

Alaska

25.3 342.4 -0.1 1,455 13 5.3 7

Arizona

228.4 3,215.4 -0.2 1,360 19 4.0 31

Arkansas

111.2 1,310.5 0.5 1,135 49 3.8 33

California

1,986.7 18,281.7 0.3 1,815 4 7.2 2

Colorado

252.9 2,886.4 -0.6 1,570 7 5.7 3

Connecticut

149.6 1,693.8 0.1 1,604 6 3.8 33

Delaware

46.7 480.8 0.0 1,394 17 4.8 13

District of Columbia

51.5 737.4 -3.1 2,393 1 5.7 3

Florida

892.1 9,818.1 -0.2 1,342 21 5.1 8

Georgia

397.2 4,874.5 0.4 1,349 20 3.5 43

Hawaii

62.1 640.1 0.1 1,342 21 3.1 48

Idaho

103.7 879.8 1.3 1,180 44 4.9 11

Illinois

386.5 6,086.3 -0.1 1,457 12 4.3 23

Indiana

197.1 3,198.4 0.1 1,214 35 4.3 23

Iowa

109.6 1,549.3 -0.9 1,194 39 3.6 38

Kansas

102.2 1,431.7 0.1 1,179 45 3.8 33

Kentucky

160.7 1,995.4 -0.4 1,176 46 4.3 23

Louisiana

158.7 1,913.1 -0.1 1,187 42 3.3 46

Maine

67.4 659.2 -0.2 1,231 33 5.0 10

Maryland

199.5 2,739.5 -1.3 1,526 9 3.8 33

Massachusetts

293.2 3,625.0 -0.9 1,818 3 4.8 13

Michigan

316.0 4,423.8 -0.4 1,323 25 4.5 18

Minnesota

214.3 2,958.6 0.2 1,438 15 3.6 38

Mississippi

91.3 1,172.6 0.0 1,005 51 4.7 15

Missouri

256.0 2,903.7 -0.4 1,249 31 4.4 21

Montana

64.6 518.3 -0.4 1,182 43 5.1 8

Nebraska

78.6 1,021.8 -0.1 1,190 40 3.1 48

Nevada

109.5 1,581.0 1.4 1,314 27 4.3 23

New Hampshire

67.3 687.8 -0.6 1,481 11 5.5 6

New Jersey

334.9 4,301.0 0.4 1,558 8 3.6 38

New Mexico

69.0 876.4 0.3 1,190 40 3.2 47

New York

720.8 9,808.4 0.4 1,757 5 4.7 15

North Carolina

386.3 4,939.4 0.5 1,328 23 4.2 27

North Dakota

36.7 433.8 -0.5 1,291 29 2.8 50

Ohio

346.6 5,537.8 0.1 1,279 30 3.4 44

Oklahoma

128.8 1,697.9 -0.3 1,143 48 4.5 18

Oregon

180.5 1,994.7 -1.3 1,409 16 4.2 27

Pennsylvania

397.2 6,066.3 0.2 1,383 18 4.1 30

Rhode Island

48.8 503.3 0.2 1,322 26 4.7 15

South Carolina

190.8 2,312.3 0.7 1,198 38 4.9 11

South Dakota

40.9 462.9 0.1 1,146 47 4.0 31

Tennessee

224.2 3,255.5 -1.2 1,327 24 5.7 3

Texas

854.9 14,062.3 0.7 1,444 14 3.6 38

Utah

142.4 1,745.9 1.2 1,297 28 3.8 33

Vermont

34.1 307.2 -0.7 1,243 32 4.4 21

Virginia

324.0 4,142.4 0.7 1,504 10 4.2 27

Washington

242.3 3,639.4 -0.1 1,923 2 7.7 1

West Virginia

62.1 701.1 -0.1 1,121 50 3.4 44

Wisconsin

211.6 2,949.1 -0.4 1,228 34 4.5 18

Wyoming

31.7 285.6 -1.1 1,201 37 2.0 51

Puerto Rico

52.8 945.5 -0.6 687 (3) 2.7 (3)

Virgin Islands

3.0 33.2 -5.4 1,025 (3) 4.7 (3)

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on March 17, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 17, 2026 at 15:16 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]