Alaska Progress Report

April Alaska Economic Trends: Juneau, hiring patterns, civil engineering

The April Alaska Economic Trends features Juneau: "The economy of Juneau is a diverse arrangement of industries largely contingent on two factors: year-round demand for goods and services, and the stability of a large government sector that sustains year-round employment at good wages. Despite its relative isolation, the role Juneau plays as Southeast Alaska’s service hub is also crucial to many industries. Juneau creates network benefits by providing cheap hydroelectric power to a nearby mine, enough moorage to accommodate thousands of feet of cruise ships, and a hospital that can provide care to the smaller regional communities."

The population is growing: "The recently released census shows Juneau’s 2010 population at 31,275: about 600 more than 2009 estimates, and nearly as high as the 2003 peak population of 31,300. (See Exhibit 1.) The 2010 census marks the third year of population recovery for Juneau as the numbers of births and deaths have remained typical but fewer people have moved out. The 2010 count is a 2 percent increase since the 2000 census. This is counter to the trend for the rest of Southeast Alaska, whose population has declined by 5 percent since 2000. Compared to Alaska as a whole, Juneau has similar race, sex, and housing characteristics. But Juneau residents are older and tend to have higher education and income than the average Alaskan."

Alaska ranked 30th on Peace Index

Some think-spa called the Institute for Economics and Peace - ironically based in the former penal colony of Australia - has ranked Alaska 30th among the 50 states on its Peace Index. The index looks at various social and economic variables at the state level. Alaska's rank on some of the individual variables, where higher is better for peace purposes:

• Violent crimes per 100,000 people: 46th
• Availability of small arms: 41st
• Percent of population with high school diploma: 3rd
• High school graduation rate: 40th
• Percent without health insurance: 40th
• Equality of household income distribution: 1st
• Percent in poverty: 2nd
• Percent with home Internet access: 2nd

The report claims the US has become more peaceful since 1995, and that peace is positively correlated with economic opportunity, education and health.

Drowning is leading cause of death for Alaskan kids age 5 to 9

From the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services: The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is placing special emphasis on safety during National Public Health Week, April 4–10. This year’s theme is Safety is No Accident. Unintentional injuries — such as motor vehicle crashes, traumatic brain injury and falls — rank among the 10 leading causes of hospitalizations in Alaska.

A different aspect of injury prevention is highlighted each day throughout the week. For Friday, April 8, our focus is safety in the community — in particular, preventing drowning. Alaska has 10 times the national rate of drowning. Drowning is the fourth highest cause of unintentional fatalities in Alaska, and No. 1 for kids ages 5 to 9.

• Most fatalities occur from accidents in open skiffs or canoes.
• Over half of Alaska drownings occur on lakes and rivers.
• Over 90 percent of fatality victims were not wearing a lifejacket (PFD/Personal Flotation Device).
• On average, three children die every day as of a result of drowning in the United States.
• Between 2000 and 2009, 52 Alaskans under age 15 drowned.
• The Kids Don’t Float PFD (personal flotation device) loaner program started in Homer in 1996 and now has 488 loaner sites statewide.

At least 19 lives have been saved since the Kids Don’t Float program went statewide in 1997. For more information visit the Kids Don’t Float program.

Alaska has second lowest rates of c-sections, low birthweight

OK, inquiring minds want to know: what are the gory details on Alaska's birth rates? You asked, we report (2009 data from the CDC, all rates - we think, they don't actually say - per 1,000 women age 15 to 44):

• Births to mothers under age 20: Alaska 9.8, US 10.0, Alaska ranked 24th.
• Births to unmarried mothers: Alaska 38, US 41, Alaska ranked 32nd.
• Births by cesarian delivery: Alaska 23.8, US 32.9, Alaska ranked 49th.
• Preterm births: Alaska 11.0, US 12.2, Alaska ranked 37th.
• Low birthweight births: Alaska 5.9, US 8.2, Alaska ranked 49th.

That's good news on two fronts: Alaska has the second-lowest rate of c-section births (23.8) after Utah (22.9), and the second-lowest rate of low-birthweight births (5.9) after South Dakota (5.8).

Alaska tied for second-highest birth rate, middling death rate

From the happy scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: new data on births and deaths from 2008 and 2009. The births publication has a single table of state data on page 25. Alaska had 11,325 births in 2009:

• 6,018 Non-Hispanic white
• 2,960 Alaska Native or American Indian
• 950 Asian or Pacific Islander
• 695 Hispanic
• 409 Non-Hispanic black

Alaska's birth rate was 16.2, significantly higher than the national average of 13.5, and tied with Texas for the second-highest rate after - where else - Utah. Alaska owned second place in fertility - the number of births per 1,000 women age 15 to 44 - with a rate of 78.3, well above a national average of 66.7 and well below #1 Utah at 88.4.

From cradle to grave: on page 44 of the deaths publication is a table of state data. Alaska's age adjusted death rate rose slightly from 740 in 2008 to 754 in 2009. The US rate fell from 759 in 2008 to 741 in 2009. That puts us dead center (get it?) of the pack, with 23 states having a higher death rate. Past studies have shown Alaska to have a much higher accidental death rate, so the makeup of our death rate is going to be different, but this specific report doesn't go into that level of detail for the states.

Election review recommends changes

This just in from our lite governor: "Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell announced today that an internal review of Alaska’s historic 2010 election is complete. The report recommends 34 changes in election procedures to strengthen ballot security, improve public notice of election procedures, and improve poll worker training.

"The review, conducted by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the Division of Elections, and the Department of Law, includes an analysis of state election laws and procedures and incorporates comments and questions received from stakeholders and the public. The review also recommends:

• Changing Alaska statutes to clarify procedures for counting write-in ballots, and ensuring law on voter intent is consistent with Supreme Court rulings;
• Changing Alaska statutes to make the declaration of write-in candidacy voluntary, but moving the deadline for that declaration to 21 days before a general election; and
• Continuing an independent, third-party study on ballot security by the University of Alaska originated by former Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell.

“None of the changes in statute or procedure suggested by our review would have changed the results of the 2010 election,” Lt. Governor Treadwell said. “They will, however, respond to the concerns of Alaska voters and streamline procedures in the future. Alaskans can be confident that their voices and votes were heard and accounted for.”