BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

09/16/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/16/2025 09:34

County Employment and Wages in Alaska — First Quarter 2025

News Release Information

25-1413-SAN
Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (415) 625-2270

County Employment and Wages in Alaska - First Quarter 2025

Employment rose 1.4 percent in Alaska's only large county equivalent, Anchorage Municipality, from March 2024 to March 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the rate of employment growth in Anchorage ranked 48th among the 364 largest U.S. counties with published data. (See table 1.)

Employment in Anchorage stood at 146,900 in March 2025, accounting for 45.4 percent of total employment in Alaska. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.4 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 first quarter 2025

The average weekly wage in Anchorage increased 4.7 percent over the year to $1,502. The national average was $1,589, up 4.1 percent over the year. Anchorage's weekly wage ranked 107th nationally, and the percent change ranked 71st among the largest U.S. counties.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the first 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 24 of 29 smaller counties were below the national average. North Slope Borough reported the highest average weekly wage ($2,868). Lake and Peninsula Borough reported the lowest average weekly wage ($815) in the state.

Among all 30 Alaska counties, 7 reported average weekly wages of less than $1,100, 10 registered wages from $1,100 to $1,299, 6 had wages from $1,300 to $1,499, and 7 had average weekly wages of $1,500 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)

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

(U.S. average = $1,589)

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.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

The County Employment and Wages release for the second quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.

County Changes for the 2025 County Employment and Wages News Releases

Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2024 are included in this release and will be included in future 2025 releases. Four counties have been added to the nationwide publication tables: Pinal, AZ; Henry, GA; Wood, OH; and Comal, TX. One county has been dropped from the publication tables: Gregg, TX.

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

United States (4)

12,249.3 154,523.8 0.4 -- 1,589 -- 4.1 --

Alaska

25.3 323.5 1.3 -- 1,452 20 5.8 4

Anchorage

8.8 146.9 1.4 48 1,502 107 4.7 71

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 boroughs in Alaska, first quarter 2025
Area Establishments Employment March 2025 Average weekly wage ($) (1)

United States (2)

12,249,320 154,523,785 1,589

Alaska

25,261 323,521 1,452

Aleutians East Borough

94 2,085 1,240

Aleutians West Census Area

159 4,413 1,547

Anchorage

8,837 146,850 1,502

Bethel Census Area

300 6,178 1,011

Bristol Bay Borough

114 576 1,431

Chugach Census Area

397 3,103 1,625

Copper River Census Area

147 969 1,111

Denali Borough

148 996 1,801

Dillingham Census Area

151 1,848 1,365

Fairbanks North Star Borough

2,460 36,503 1,371

Haines Borough

163 820 1,100

Hoonah-Angoon Census Area

143 777 961

Juneau City and Borough

1,173 16,880 1,372

Kenai Peninsula Borough

2,414 20,199 1,252

Ketchikan Gateway Borough

631 6,345 1,263

Kodiak Island Borough

473 5,691 1,172

Kusilvak Census Area

122 2,032 818

Lake and Peninsula Borough

111 674 815

Mantanuska-Susitna Borough

2,851 29,233 1,113

Nome Census Area

298 3,883 1,443

North Slope Borough

228 13,443 2,868

Northwest Arctic Borough

149 2,937 1,776

Petersburg Borough

175 1,164 940

Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area

233 1,968 1,022

Sitka City and Borough

415 4,092 1,128

Skagway

108 498 1,185

Southeast Fairbanks Census Area

257 3,003 1,896

Wrangell City and Borough

100 716 1,106

Yakutat City and Borough

43 274 1,332

Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area

241 2,197 1,027

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, first quarter 2025
State Establishments,
first quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2025
(thousands) 		Percent change,
March
2024-25 		First quarter
2025 ($) 		National ranking
by level 		Percent change,
first quarter
2024-25 		National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

12,249.3 154,523.8 0.4 1,589 -- 4.1 --

Alabama

163.3 2,102.3 0.3 1,245 39 3.8 23

Alaska

25.3 323.5 1.3 1,452 20 5.8 4

Arizona

226.1 3,259.3 0.3 1,431 21 3.8 23

Arkansas

107.6 1,304.4 0.7 1,236 40 5.6 6

California

1,945.4 18,066.2 0.1 1,905 6 4.2 13

Colorado

242.4 2,862.7 0.1 1,681 8 4.2 13

Connecticut

148.5 1,671.7 0.5 1,980 4 3.8 23

Delaware

45.4 474.3 0.8 1,535 15 3.4 30

District of Columbia

51.5 748.9 -1.4 2,606 1 7.2 1

Florida

886.5 9,958.4 0.9 1,456 19 5.1 8

Georgia

394.8 4,860.7 0.4 1,491 17 3.4 30

Hawaii

60.3 644.8 0.6 1,363 27 6.7 2

Idaho

102.7 848.2 1.2 1,178 48 4.2 13

Illinois

407.1 5,988.9 0.2 1,662 9 3.2 38

Indiana

194.8 3,161.4 0.3 1,323 30 4.2 13

Iowa

111.3 1,537.7 -0.5 1,253 36 3.2 38

Kansas

104.3 1,428.0 0.8 1,246 38 4.0 19

Kentucky

159.6 1,986.3 0.0 1,213 44 2.4 51

Louisiana

157.0 1,921.2 0.5 1,227 42 2.8 49

Maine

66.6 629.6 0.1 1,283 34 2.7 50

Maryland

197.7 2,739.0 -0.2 1,634 10 3.2 38

Massachusetts

289.8 3,575.8 -0.7 2,107 3 4.6 11

Michigan

307.3 4,337.3 -0.3 1,391 24 2.9 48

Minnesota

211.8 2,878.6 -0.1 1,570 14 3.7 27

Mississippi

91.3 1,160.4 -0.4 1,018 51 4.1 17

Missouri

252.4 2,886.9 0.1 1,310 31 3.2 38

Montana

67.1 505.8 0.6 1,189 46 5.6 6

Nebraska

78.6 1,008.4 -0.1 1,231 41 3.1 42

Nevada

106.1 1,541.2 0.2 1,359 29 4.1 17

New Hampshire

66.3 681.0 0.1 1,606 11 4.8 9

New Jersey

338.9 4,259.0 1.1 1,815 7 3.0 44

New Mexico

66.8 868.2 0.3 1,203 45 3.9 22

New York

716.1 9,757.0 1.4 2,213 2 6.2 3

North Carolina

373.2 4,888.5 0.2 1,467 18 4.8 9

North Dakota

36.4 422.8 0.6 1,302 33 3.3 34

Ohio

344.2 5,466.8 0.2 1,361 28 3.5 28

Oklahoma

130.9 1,700.2 0.5 1,186 47 3.0 44

Oregon

186.2 1,965.7 -0.8 1,420 23 3.3 34

Pennsylvania

394.5 6,003.5 0.6 1,500 16 3.5 28

Rhode Island

49.0 489.3 1.0 1,429 22 3.0 44

South Carolina

198.7 2,304.9 1.7 1,247 37 4.4 12

South Dakota

40.5 450.5 0.2 1,163 49 3.0 44

Tennessee

221.0 3,251.5 -0.4 1,364 26 4.0 19

Texas

847.6 14,015.9 1.2 1,587 13 3.1 42

Utah

138.1 1,720.5 1.1 1,365 25 4.0 19

Vermont

33.5 306.8 -0.4 1,280 35 3.8 23

Virginia

321.9 4,108.8 0.8 1,605 12 3.4 30

Washington

240.9 3,583.7 0.9 1,935 5 5.8 4

West Virginia

61.9 694.6 0.0 1,149 50 3.3 34

Wisconsin

208.9 2,898.4 -0.2 1,305 32 3.4 30

Wyoming

31.0 274.6 0.0 1,216 43 3.3 34

Puerto Rico

52.0 946.1 -0.7 699 (3) 3.2 (3)

Virgin Islands

2.9 33.8 -7.5 1,034 (3) 2.7 (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 September 16, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 16, 2025 at 15:34 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]