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US State economic profile
Alaska - Economic Profile
Statistics, economic information and rankings for the Last Frontier
In 2026, the state of Alaska has a population of 744,898, having grown an annualized 0.3% over the five years to 2026, which ranks it 39th out of all 50 US states by growth rate. Alaska's gross state product (GSP) in 2026 reached $58.7b, with growth of 2.5% over the 5 years to 2026. Businesses in Alaska employed a total of 351,759 people in 2026, with average annual employment growth over the past five years of 2.1%. The top three sectors by total employment are Transportation & Warehousing, Mining, Real Estate & Rental & Leasing, while the unemployment rate across the state in 2026 was 5.1%.
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State economic profile
Alaska Economic Overview
$58.7b
Gross state product
744,898
Population
101,420
Businesses
What is Alaska's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?
In 2026, Alaska's GDP reached $58.7b, representing an increase of 2.5% from 2025. Alaska's GDP has grown at an annualized rate of 2.7% over the five years to 2026. Moreover, Alaska's trailing five-year GDP growth ranks it 16th out of all 50 US states.
State GDP, or Gross State Product, is a measurement of a state's output, or the sum of value added from all industries in the state. It is a common indicator used to track the health of a state's economy.
You can track trends in Alaska's GDP, and compare them to the national average, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Alaska Industry Trends
Learn about current trends affecting the most significant industries for Alaska's state economy, down to the county level. IBISWorld offers state industry research reports on over 30,000 industries across all 50 states in the US, including 576 industries in Alaska.
What are Alaska's Largest Industries by Revenue?
The largest industries by revenue in Alaska are Oil Drilling & Gas Extraction, Gasoline & Petroleum Bulk Stations and Petroleum Refining, which generated $19.5b, $6.5b and $5.8b in 2026.
| Industry | 2026 revenue | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Oil Drilling & Gas Extraction | $19.5b |
| 2. | Gasoline & Petroleum Bulk Stations | $6.5b |
| 3. | Petroleum Refining | $5.8b |
| 4. | Hospitals | $4.5b |
| 5. | Private Equity, Hedge Funds & Investment Vehicles | $4.4b |
| 6. | Warehouse Clubs & Supercenters | $3.9b |
| 7. | Seafood Preparation | $3.7b |
| 8. | Real Estate Investment Trusts | $3.6b |
| 9. | Gold & Silver Ore Mining | $2.5b |
| 10. | Supermarkets & Grocery Stores | $2.3b |
State economic profile
Top Companies in Alaska
Learn about current trends affecting the top companies in Alaska. IBISWorld offers benchmarking data and tools on over 5,000 companies in the US.
Top 10 Companies Headquartered in Alaska by Employment
The largest companies by employment in Alaska are Alaska Airlines, Inc., Arctic Slope Regional and Providence, which employed 26,043, 15,000 and 5,000 people in 2026.
| Company | 2026 employment | Share of employment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Alaska Airlines, Inc. | 26,043 | 7.4% |
| 2. | Arctic Slope Regional | 15,000 | 4.3% |
| 3. | Providence | 5,000 | 1.4% |
| 4. | Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation | 1,673 | 0.5% |
| 5. | Home Depot, inc. | 1,446 | 0.4% |
| 6. | Trident Seafoods | 1,400 | 0.4% |
| 7. | NMS | 1,400 | 0.4% |
| 8. | Banner Health | 1,400 | 0.4% |
| 9. | Kroger | 1,183 | 0.3% |
| 10. | United States Postal Service | 390 | 0.1% |
State economic profile
Alaska Sector Statistics
In Alaska, certain sectors drive a higher share of state GDP and employ more workers than others. However, simply looking at raw numbers doesn't always tell the whole story. Factoring in the current year growth percentage, in addition to the annualized growth percentage over the past five years, will give you a deeper understanding of the economic situation.
What is Alaska's GDP by Sector?
The Transportation & Warehousing, Mining and Real Estate & Rental & Leasing sectors contributed the most to Alaska's GDP in 2026, representing a combined 45.0% of state GDP.
GDP trends by sector are an important indicator of which sectors are contributing the most value-add to the state economy, in addition to how the state economy is evolving over time.
| Sector | GDP | Growth 2026 | Annualized growth 2021-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation & Warehousing | 7,839,569,097 | 2.4% | 2.8% |
| Mining | 6,341,993,115 | -3.7% | -3.4% |
| Real Estate & Rental & Leasing | 6,277,907,051 | 3.0% | 2.8% |
| Healthcare & Social Assistance | 5,420,511,455 | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| Retail Trade | 2,808,336,576 | 3.4% | 2.9% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 2,673,456,513 | 6.7% | 7.0% |
| Information | 2,095,259,042 | 7.5% | 6.9% |
| Construction | 2,061,172,637 | -1.9% | -2.8% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 1,937,424,804 | 6.6% | 6.9% |
| Manufacturing | 1,607,032,555 | 3.9% | 3.8% |
| Administration, Business Support and Waste Management Services | 1,215,762,920 | 3.8% | 4.5% |
| Wholesale Trade | 1,043,915,820 | -4.4% | -4.8% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 862,634,954 | -0.5% | -0.2% |
| Finance & Insurance | 768,334,631 | -7.3% | -7.4% |
| Utilities | 763,495,526 | -2.0% | -2.9% |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 651,241,498 | 7.8% | 8.4% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 473,164,147 | 10.8% | 12.3% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting | 427,519,629 | 0.6% | 3.2% |
| Educational Services | 229,901,450 | 4.9% | 5.6% |
What is Alaska's Employment by Sector?
The Healthcare & Social Assistance, Transportation & Warehousing and Retail Trade sectors contributed the most to employment in Alaska in 2026, representing a combined 38.6% of state employment.
Employment trends by sector are an important indicator of which sectors are growing or contracting most rapidly relative to the state economy as a whole.
| Sector | Employment | Growth 2026 | Annualized growth 2021-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare & Social Assistance | 57,643 | 2.4% | 0.4% |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 39,879 | 6.2% | 7.2% |
| Retail Trade | 38,333 | 1.1% | 0.7% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 30,508 | 3.2% | 2.8% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 28,914 | 0.3% | 4.4% |
| Construction | 23,923 | 0.5% | 1.8% |
| Administration, Business Support and Waste Management Services | 23,321 | 4.3% | 1.2% |
| Finance & Insurance | 17,792 | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| Manufacturing | 14,212 | 1.3% | 1.6% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 13,702 | 1.0% | 3.7% |
| Real Estate & Rental & Leasing | 11,840 | 1.0% | 1.7% |
| Mining | 10,628 | -1.4% | 2.4% |
| Information | 8,878 | 5.6% | 4.4% |
| Wholesale Trade | 8,527 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Educational Services | 7,580 | -2.6% | -2.1% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 6,836 | 0.6% | 4.6% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting | 6,088 | -1.4% | -4.2% |
| Utilities | 3,155 | 0.8% | -0.5% |
State economic profile
Alaska Employment Trends
351.8k
Employment
5.1%
Unemployment
What Employment Trends are Impacting Alaska?
The state of Alaska employs 351,759 people in 2026, which ranks it 49th out of all 50 US states. Employment in Alaska has grown at an annualized rate of 2.1% over the five years to 2026, overperforming the national average of 1.7%. Major sectors by employment in Alaska include Healthcare & Social Assistance, Transportation & Warehousing and Retail Trade, which employed 57,643, 39,879 and 38,333 people in 2026, respectively. Alaska's unemployment rate is 5.1% in 2026, which ranks it 43rd out of all 50 US states. Alaska's unemployment rate has trended downwards at a rate of -4.2% over the five years to 2026, overperforming the US economy as a whole.
Employment trends indicate the degree of tightness or slack in labor markets, in addition to the overall strength of an economy. Faster employment growth typically indicates a strong and growing economy, while lower unemployment tends to imply tightness in labor markets.
You can track unemployment trends in Alaska, and compare them to the US economy, using the chart below.
$198.0k
Per capita disposable income
What is Alaska's Per Capita Disposable Income?
Per capita disposable income, also known as disposable personal income (DPI), is the amount of money that the average person in an economy has available for spending and saving after accounting for income taxes. Alaska's DPI in 2026 was $198.0k, compared to the US average of $156.5k, which places it 45th out of all 50 US states.
Disposable income is regarded as a key economic indicator as trends in disposable income are indicative of the level of aggregate demand, the state of labor markets and the financial strength of households.
You can track trends in Alaska's per capita disposable income, and compare it to the US average, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Alaska Construction & Building Trends
$670.8tn
Nonresidential construction
$267.6b
Residential construction
866
Building permits
What can construction trends tell you about a state’s economy?
In Alaska, non-residential construction was $670.8tn in 2026, which ranks it 45th out of all 50 US states. Residential construction was $267.6b in 2026, which places Alaska 1st out of all 50 US states. The number of building permits issued in Alaska in 2026 was 866, representing a -11.7% annualized growth rate between 2021 and 2026.
Trends in the construction sector are important because it creates jobs, income and tax revenue for a state. In addition, construction sector activity impacts other sectors in its supply chain, including manufacturing, wholesaling, warehousing, transportation, and real estate, rental and leasing services. Therefore, construction trends are important indicators of the health of an economy.
You can track trends in the number of building permits issued in Alaska, and compare it to trends in the number issued in the United States as a whole, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Alaska Population Statistics
Which Counties in Alaska have the Largest Populations?
The counties with the highest populations in Alaska are Anchorage Municipality, Matanuska-Susitna Borough and Fairbanks North Star Borough, which had populations of 281,976, 121,788 and 93,676 people in 2026.
| Region | 2026 population | Annual growth 2021-26 | Share of population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage Municipality | 282.0k | -0.5% | 37.9% |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 121.8k | 1.9% | 16.4% |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | 93.7k | -0.4% | 12.6% |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough | 63.2k | 1.1% | 8.5% |
| Juneau City And Borough | 31.0k | -0.6% | 4.2% |
| Bethel Census Area | 17.9k | -0.6% | 2.4% |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | 13.6k | -0.4% | 1.8% |
| Kodiak Island Borough | 12.2k | -1.1% | 1.6% |
| North Slope Borough | 10.2k | -1.4% | 1.4% |
| Nome Census Area | 9.6k | -0.6% | 1.3% |
| Sitka City And Borough | 8.1k | -0.7% | 1.1% |
| Valdez-Cordova Census Area | 8.0k | -6.2% | 1.1% |
| Kusilvak Census Area | 7.6k | -1.8% | 1.0% |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | 7.2k | 0.8% | 1.0% |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | 7.0k | -1.5% | 0.9% |
| Prince Of Wales-Hyder Census Area | 5.7k | -0.1% | 0.8% |
| Aleutians West Census Area | 5.2k | 0.2% | 0.7% |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | 4.9k | -1.2% | 0.7% |
| Dillingham Census Area | 4.4k | -1.8% | 0.6% |
| Aleutians East Borough | 3.5k | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| Petersburg Census Area | 3.5k | 0.7% | 0.5% |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | 2.2k | -1.0% | 0.3% |
| Haines Borough | 2.1k | -0.1% | 0.3% |
| Wrangell City And Borough | 2.0k | -0.9% | 0.3% |
| Denali Borough | 1.6k | -0.4% | 0.2% |
State economic profile
Alaska Demographics
In Alaska, 34.0% of the population has a Bachelors or higher. The largest ethnic group in Alaska is White, accounting for 57.7% of the state's population.
Education level in Alaska
| Education level | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Bachelors or higher | 34.0 |
| Other | 66.0 |
Race in Alaska
| Race | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| White | 57.7 |
| Other | 23.8 |
| Hispanic | 8.1 |
| Asian | 7.1 |
| Black | 3.2 |
Alaska State industry reports
IBISWorld State Industry Reports help you quickly understand how an industry performs at the state level compared with the national level, with accurate and unbiased industry information with a local focus. Use this collection to:
- Discover key local industry trends
- Identify threats and opportunities at the subnational level
- Inform your business strategies and planning
See our list of 576 Alaska industry reports.
Other states to explore
Compare Alaska’s economy with other states in the United States.
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