Alaska's seasonaly adjusted unemployment rate rose to 7.7% in July, up from 7.2% in June and nearly the same as a year ago, according to a press release issued by the State of Alaska Department of Labor.
The U.S. rate for July was 8.3%, up slightly from 8.2% in June but down significantly from 9.1% in July 2011. The U.S. unemployment rate has been higher than Alaska's since late 2008 but the gap is narrowing. Alaska now has the 25th lowest unemployment rate among the states; before the recession Alaska's unemployment rate was among the highest in the nation.
Alaska's urban areas - Anchorage, Fairbanks, and larger cities in Southeast Alaska - have much lower unemployment rates than the State's rural areas. Some rural areas have consistently higher unemployment rates than the U.S. average.
Borough and census area data is not seaonally adjusted, so should not be compared to the overall Alaska rates which have been seasonally adjusted. July's unadjusted rates show the impact of summer hiring in tourism, fisheries, construction and other industries. "Apples to apples" comparisons of July unemployment rates for selected areas include:
- City & Borough of Juneau 5.0%
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough 5.8%
- Kodiak Island Borough 6.1%
- Municipality of Anchorage 6.2%
- North Slope Borough 6.3%
- Fairbanks North Star Borough 6.6%
- Kenai Peninsula Borough 7.9%
- Mat-Su Borough 8.6%
- Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area 15.8%
- Bethel Census Area 16.8%
- Wade-Hampton Census Area (Bering Sea coast) 24.9%
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