Alaska Progress Report

Alaska unemployment unchanged in August at 7.7 percent

From the Alaska Department of Labor: "Alaska’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August was 7.7 percent, unchanged from July’s revised rate. The national rate was 9.1 percent, also unchanged from the prior month. These jobless rates have also remained relatively static throughout 2011. In January, the nation’s rate was 9.0 percent, and the state’s rate was 7.8 percent.

"It’s not unusual for the state’s jobless rate to follow the national trend. Because Alaska’s employment picture remains brighter than in most of the nation, fewer Alaskan job seekers are leaving the state and more people are heading north looking for work, putting upward pressure on the state’s unemployment rate. This is evidenced by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s recently released intercensal data, which show the decade’s largest population gains were in 2009 and 2010. These trends are highly likely to continue throughout 2011.

"Even though unemployment hasn’t dropped in 2011, Alaska remains in an enviable place among most states with a July rate that was 17th lowest in the nation. This is a historically unusual place for Alaska, whose unemployment ranked second-highest in the nation as recently as August 2007.

"In August, Alaska’s nonseasonally adjusted regional unemployment rates fell slightly in five of six regions. Southeast’s rates were lowest in August as fishing and tourism remained at or near peak levels. Although Southwest was home to the areas with both the highest and lowest unemployment rates, that region had the highest overall unemployment and the only rate that increased in August."

Anchorage traffic not so bad, relatively

A group called Anchorage Metropolitan Area Transportation Solutions (AMATS) has released a comprehensive 77 page report on Anchorage area traffic, finding that "Since the previous transportation performance evaluation in 2007, improvements to roadways have produced measurable positive impacts; public transportation changes to route structures and frequency have contributed to a slight gain in ridership; and additional and improved trail, sidewalk, and bicycle facilities have increased availability to users. In addition, capital improvements at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and in the rail infrastructure have benefited freight movement as well as passenger travel."

The study compares Anchorage to similiar communities and finds that traffic delays are substantially less here, having increased slightly since 1982, when Anchorage was a bit worse than average, while the Lower 48 cities increased much more. All the gory details are in the report. AMATS is a political body formed by the Municipality of Anchorage to receive local transportation funds that would otherwise go through the state. It's the only so-called Metropolitan Planning Organization in Alaska, although other communities have looked at forming such bodies. Unusually for an MPO, AMATS does not have public representation on its main body, only on subcommittees.

Click here for the Anchorage Daily News story.

Fairbanks, Anchorage rank high on earnings

From the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation: "In a report done by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Garner Economics LLC, Anchorage was ranked 22nd out of 372 metro areas for Private Industry Average Hourly Earnings at $25.58 in July 2011. The report called, “Progress Report: Average Hourly Earnings in U.S. Metros”, examined the nation’s 372 metro areas for average hourly earnings, year-over year change and impact of inflation.

"Fairbanks was ranked in the top nineteen at #9 with $25.79 for having both average hourly earnings greater than the national average and a positive one-year earnings growth after inflation. The national average hourly earnings in July 2011 were $22.96 and earnings grew by 2.3% over the year."

Alaska has third highest prescription drug discount

The bitterly contested Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, passed last year included provisions designed to close the Medicare Part D "donut hole" by the year 2020. Right now, Part D beneficiaries pay the first $295 out of pocket. From $295 to $2,700 they pay 25 percent and Medicare covers the remaining 75 percent. From $2,700 to $6,154 they're in the donut hole and all costs are out of pocket. After that Medicare kicks in again and only 5 percent is out of pocket. Got it?

Anyway, Alaska has about 65,000 Medicare beneficiaries, most age 65 plus and many on fixed incomes that can really feel the pinch in the donut hole. Starting January 1, 2011, people who hit the donut hole were eligible for a 50 percent discount on brand-name prescription drugs. 886 Alaskans have benefited from the discount, saving over half a million dollars for an average discount of $608.75. Only Delaware and Vermont residents received a higher average discount, $636.44 and $618.14 respectively.

Alaska top seafood producer for 22nd consecutive year

Don't take our word for it: the gub-mint says so, in the form of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's annual Fisheries of the United States 2011: "...for the 22nd consecutive year, the Alaska port of Dutch Harbor-Unalaska led the nation with the highest amount of fish landed, primarily pollock. For the 11th consecutive year New Bedford, Mass. had the highest valued catch, due in large part to the sea scallop fishery.

"Last year, commercial fishermen unloaded 515.2 million pounds of fish and shellfish in Dutch Harbor-Unalaska, an increase of nearly 10 million pounds over 2009 and a rise in the dockside value of $3.4 million to $163 million. Alaska claims three of the top 10 ports for landings volume and six of the top 10 ports for landings value. More than half of the seafood Americans eat from U.S. waters is caught in Alaska."

Kodiak and Cordova rank 5th and 8th respectively in pounds of fish landed, while six Alaska ports place in the top ten in value of fish landed. Interestingly U.S. per capita consumption of seafood has been essentially flat since 2005, and canned salmon consumption has decreased by 50 percent.