The local economy of Alaska and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
4.3%
-0.3 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Aleutians East Borough 1.7%, highest Kusilvak Census Area 18.2%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,519
+4.8%vs a year ago
320,096 jobs at 25,401 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
814
-11.5%this year vs last year
Most in Anchorage Municipality 287, Kenai Peninsula Borough 184.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
-3,992
-6.9 per 1,000residents
26,621 moved in and 30,613 moved out. Most newcomers came from California.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Alaska gas price
$5.01
+$1.15vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Haines Borough $4.30, highest Kodiak Island Borough $5.78. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Alaska, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
22K
+0.4%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
264K
+2.4%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (18.8%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$19.2B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$72,990
Highest sector: Management of Companies and Enterprises $153,330.
Per employee per year
Share of Alaska's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 18,427 | $29,849 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 14,767 | $105,112 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 7,564 | $37,946 |
| Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging | 6,945 | $69,734 |
| Individual and Family Services | 6,486 | $40,767 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 6,347 | $102,575 |
| Grocery Stores | 6,317 | $34,704 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | 6,112 | $79,737 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 6,095 | $46,528 |
| Facilities Support Services | 5,927 | $71,426 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 5,643 | $47,880 |
| Offices of Physicians | 5,221 | $114,511 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Alaska, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Alaska is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Alaska, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Alaska was 4.3% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 4.6% a year earlier. 350,564 people were employed out of a labor force of 366,259. Among its counties, Aleutians East Borough had the lowest rate (1.7%) and Kusilvak Census Area the highest (18.2%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Alaska was $1,519 in Q1 2026, up 4.8% from a year earlier, across 320,096 jobs at 25,401 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 57 new homes in Alaska in August 2026 (40 single-family and 5 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 562, down 11.5% from the same months last year, and 814 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Anchorage Municipality (287), Kenai Peninsula Borough (184), Juneau City and Borough (86) over the last 12 months.
No, more people moved out than in. From 2022 to 2023, 26,621 people moved to Alaska and 30,613 moved away, a net loss of 3,992 (-6.9 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from California, Washington, Texas, and most people who left went to Washington, Texas, California.
Regular gasoline in Alaska averaged $5.01 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.15 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.57. Among its counties, Haines Borough had the lowest regular price ($4.30) and Kodiak Island Borough the highest ($5.78).
Health Care and Social Assistance (49,634 employees), Retail Trade (34,008 employees), Accommodation and Food Services (28,571 employees) were the largest sectors in Alaska in 2023. In all, 22,178 business locations employed 263,691 people at an average pay of $72,990 a year.