June Unemployment Numbers Released

Southwest Alaska continues to have the highest unemployment rate in the state despite the fact that the Bristol Bay Borough has an extremely low unemployment rate. The June unemployment rate in Alaska was 6.6-percent and 4 of the 6 regions of the state had unemployment rates below double digits. The highest rate in the state is the 13.6-percent recorded in Southwest Alaska followed by the 10.5-percent in the Northern region. The unemployment rate in the Anchorage/Mat-Su region was 5.8-percent and it was 6.9-percent in the Gulf Coast region. The Interior region posted a rate of 6.7-percent and the rate in Southeast was 5.8-percent. A closer look at Southwest Alaska shows that the unemployment rate in the Dillingham Census Area was 8.8-percent. That’s up slightly from the 8.7-percent recorded back in May but is down compared to the unemployment rate recorded in June of last year. The June unemployment rate in the Lake and Peninsula Borough was 5.8-percent. That’s down from the 6.6-percent recorded back in May. The lowest unemployment rate in the State of Alaska in June was the 1.8-percent in the Bristol Bay Borough, which was down from the 3.2-percent recorded back in May. The highest unemployment rate in the State in June was the 25.4-percent in the Wade Hampton Census Area, which was up compared to the 22.1-percent recorded back in May. The second highest unemployment rate in the State last month was the 17.2-percent in the Bethel Census Area, which was up a full 2-percentage points compared to the rate recorded back in May. The June unemployment rate in the Aleutians East Borough was 12.9-percent, which was down from the 18.4-percent recorded back in May. In the Aleutians West Census Area the rate was 9.7-percent. That’s down significantly from the 14.4-percent recorded back in May. The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development reports that the June unemployment rate in Anchorage was 5.4-percent and it was 7.2-percent in the Mat-Su Borough. The Kenai Peninsula Borough posted a rate of 7.1-percent and it was 5.9-percent in the Kodiak Island Borough. The unemployment rate in the Northwest Arctic Borough was 15.5-percent and it was 12.8-percent in the Nome Census Area. The statewide unemployment rate in June was 6.6-percent. That’s up compared to the 5.9-percent recorded in May but is down compared to the 7.3-percent in June of last year. When Alaska’s unemployment rate is seasonally adjusted it drops down to 6.1-percent. That’s well below the national unemployment rate of 7.6-percent. All told there are over 24.5-thousand Alaskans officially classified as unemployed out of a labor force of nearly 327-thousand people. You can take a look at the June unemployment data on the website of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.