Department of Numbers

Anchorage, Alaska Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Anchorage fell 0.5 percentage points in December 2020 to 5.9%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.1 percentage points higher than the Alaska rate. The unemployment rate in Anchorage peaked in April 2020 at 14.8% and is now 8.9 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 5.9% in October 2020, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.0 percentage points. You can also compare Anchorage unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate December 2020 Month/Month Year/Year
National 6.7% 0.0 +3.1
Alaska 5.8% -0.5 -0.3
Anchorage 5.9% -0.5 +0.5
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with December 2020 data as January metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Anchorage, Alaska, National

Anchorage, Alaska monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Anchorage, Alaska Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Anchorage peaked in April 2020 at 28,340. There are now 16,758 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Anchorage employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Anchorage, Alaska) is also available.

Unemployed Persons December 2020 Month/Month Year/Year
Anchorage 11,582 -1,111 +1,117

Number of Unemployed Persons

Anchorage, Alaska Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 Alaska
Unemployment Rate		 Anchorage
Unemployment Rate		 Anchorage
Unemployed
January
2021		 6.3% — — —
December
2020		 6.7% 5.8% 5.9% 11,582
November
2020		 6.7% 6.3% 6.4% 12,693
October
2020		 6.9% 5.9% 5.9% 11,918
September
2020		 7.8% 7.2% 7.1% 13,625
August
2020		 8.4% 7.4% 7.4% 13,882
July
2020		 10.2% 11.6% 11.6% 22,392
June
2020		 11.1% 12.4% 12.4% 24,259
May
2020		 13.3% 12.7% 13.1% 24,654
April
2020		 14.8% 13.5% 14.8% 28,340
March
2020		 4.4% 5.2% 5.5% 10,641
February
2020		 3.5% 5.8% 5.2% 10,059

1. Metro area unemployment rates are now seasonally adjusted. The BLS has started publishing smoothed seasonally adjusted metropolitan area data which makes comparisons to state and national data more relevant than the unadjusted numbers. ↩

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