Employment in Anchorage Municipality, Alaska’s only large county equivalent, increased by 1.4 percent from March 2024 to March 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chris Rosenlund, Regional Commissioner, stated that this growth rate placed Anchorage at 48th among the 364 largest U.S. counties with published data.
Anchorage recorded employment of 146,900 in March 2025, representing 45.4 percent of Alaska’s total employment. Across the country, the largest counties account for about 73.4 percent of all covered employment.
The average weekly wage in Anchorage rose by 4.7 percent over the year to $1,502. This figure remains below the national average weekly wage of $1,589, which grew by 4.1 percent during the same period. Anchorage ranked 107th nationally for its average weekly wage and was ranked 71st for percentage change among large U.S. counties.
Data on employment and wages are also reported for Alaska’s smaller county equivalents—defined as those with fewer than 75,000 employees—which include boroughs and census areas across the state. Wage levels in most of these smaller regions were below the national average; North Slope Borough had the highest average weekly wage at $2,868 while Lake and Peninsula Borough reported the lowest at $815.
Across all Alaska counties, seven had an average weekly wage under $1,100; ten registered between $1,100 and $1,299; six fell within $1,300 to $1,499; and seven had wages at or above $1,500.
Further details can be found through tables accompanying this release as well as on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.
“Employment rose 1.4 percent in Alaska’s only large county equivalent, Anchorage Municipality, from March 2024 to March 2025,” said Chris Rosenlund.
