Anchorage Municipality, AK (Alaska) has about 288,976 residents. Workers there whose highest education is a bachelor's degree earn a median of $74,584 a year, about 73% more than workers with a high school diploma ($43,169) (Census Bureau, 2020-2024, everyone 25 and over with earnings). Median rent is $1,489 a month and the median home is worth $395,900. This page gathers public data about the county's pay, housing, jobs and health-care access. Counties are listed alphabetically; MajorPays does not rank places.

Pay by education level

High school diploma$43,169
Some college or associate's degree$55,963
Bachelor's degree$74,584
Graduate or professional degree$101,152
All workers 25 and over$61,814

Bachelor's premium

+73%

Bachelor's pay over high school pay

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher

39%

Ages 25 and over

Median household income

$103,284

Census ACS 2020-2024

Urban-rural classification

Code 2 of 9

Metro - Counties in metro areas of 250,000 to 1 million population (USDA ERS, 2023)

Income per person

$84,370

BEA, 2024; includes all income, children and retirees

Housing and cost

Median rent

$1,489/mo

Gross rent, ACS 2020-2024

Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms

$1,563/mo

HUD, fiscal year 2025

Median home value

$395,900

Owner-occupied homes

Home price change, 2020 to 2025

+34.1%

FHFA House Price Index; +4.0% from 2024 to 2025; +41.7% from 2015 to 2025

Rent as a share of bachelor's pay

24%

A year of median rent over median bachelor's earnings

Renters paying 30%+ of income

46%

Renter households

Jobs and work

Unemployment rate, all workers

3.8%

BLS, 2024 annual average

Jobs located here, 2025

148,620

Average pay per job $78,021 a year at 8,763 employers; +0.9% from 2024 (BLS; jobs located in this area, wherever workers live)

Gross domestic product, 2024

$32.1 billion

Real growth +2.6% from 2023 (BEA, current dollars)

Moved in from another state or abroad, bachelor's or higher

4.5%

Of adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher, the share who lived in another state or abroad a year earlier (±0.9); 3.9% (±0.5) among adults without one; ACS 2020-2024

Unemployment, bachelor's degree or higher

2.4%

Ages 25-64, ACS 2020-2024

Unemployment, high school diploma

6.3%

Ages 25-64, ACS 2020-2024

Private-sector jobs per 100 residents

49

Jobs located in the county (Census CBP 2023)

Average pay per private-sector job

$75,510

Census CBP 2023

Commutes of 45 minutes or more

5%

Share of workers

Poverty rate by education, adults 25 and over

EducationThis countyUnited States
Less than high school19.3% (±3.7)24.2%
High school graduate14.6% (±1.7)14.4%
Some college or associate's degree7.5% (±0.9)9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher2.6% (±0.7)4.5%

Share of people with income below the federal poverty level, by the highest education they have completed (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table B17003; margins of error at the 90% level in parentheses). A description of who lives here, not a prediction for any person.

What residents with a bachelor’s degree studied

Field of first majorThis countyUnited States
Science and engineering38.0%36.1%
Science and engineering related fields11.0%10.0%
Business16.0%20.1%
Education11.3%10.9%
Arts, humanities and other23.7%23.0%

Share of adults 25 and over with a bachelor’s degree, by the field of their first major (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table C15010; the Census Bureau’s own groups, listed in a fixed order, not ranked; margins of error at most 1.7 points). A description of who lives here, not a prediction for any person.

The largest private-sector industries by jobs are health care and social assistance (18%), retail trade (11%), hotels and restaurants (11%) (Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023; employment in cells Census withholds is not shown).

Pay by industry, 2025

Private-sector jobs and average annual pay by industry, listed alphabetically (MajorPays does not rank industries or places). All industries together, including government: 148,620 jobs, average pay $78,021 a year. A row is missing when the Bureau of Labor Statistics withholds it to protect privacy or when there are fewer than 10 jobs.

IndustryJobsAverage annual pay
Accommodation and food services14,355$35,523
Administrative and support and waste management services6,616$60,286
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting268$37,894
Arts, entertainment, and recreation2,496$32,137
Construction8,632$112,925
Educational services1,270$47,193
Finance and insurance3,736$100,867
Health care and social assistance26,817$75,993
Information2,496$100,621
Management of companies and enterprises2,130$132,663
Manufacturing1,878$60,806
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction1,808$254,674
Other services (except public administration)4,962$57,052
Professional, scientific, and technical services8,761$102,923
Real estate and rental and leasing2,324$60,494
Retail trade15,058$45,418
Transportation and warehousing13,276$99,281
Utilities887$137,114
Wholesale trade4,667$78,255

People and access

Poverty rate

8.9%

All ages, Census SAIPE 2023 (model-based estimate)

Child poverty rate

9.9%

Under 18, Census SAIPE 2023

Median age

35.2

Years

Households with broadband

94%

Any broadband subscription

People without health insurance

9.9%

All ages, ACS 2020-2024

Homeownership rate

64%

Occupied homes that are owner-occupied

Residents enrolled in college

15,605

5.6% of residents 3 and older (±1,094); U.S. 6.6%; includes graduate school; wherever they study

Adults 25 to 34 with a bachelor's or higher

33.1%

±2.3; U.S. 39.6%; ACS 2020-2024

People ages 18 to 24

9.9%

28,407 people in July 2025, -1.1% since July 2020 (Census population estimates)

Workers who work from home

10.9%

Workers 16 and over

Veterans among adults

11.0%

Civilian adults 18 and over

Health care access

HRSA's shortage score runs from 0 to 25 (26 for dental); higher means a bigger shortage of providers in a designated area. Highest score in this county: primary care 11, dental 15, mental health 10. Designations can cover part of a county and change over time (Health Resources and Services Administration).

Colleges in this county

4 colleges in the federal directory are located here, listed alphabetically; MajorPays does not rank colleges. Each name links to the college’s profile.

CollegeTypeLevelStudents, fall 2024
Alaska Career CollegePrivate for-profit2-year250
Alaska Pacific UniversityPrivate nonprofit4-year or above593
Charter CollegePrivate for-profit4-year or above2,157
University of Alaska AnchoragePublic4-year or above10,493

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS directory (HD 2024, county of the campus) and Fall Enrollment 2024 (total headcount). A count of students is the size of the college, not its quality; the Department has not endorsed this presentation.

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Sources: pay by education level, household income, rent, home value, rent burden, commute times, median age, broadband, health insurance, home ownership, college enrollment, working from home and veterans from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (Tables B20004, B15003, B19013, B25064, B25077, B25070, B08303, B01002, B28002, B27010, B25003, B14001, B08301, B21001 and B23006; earnings are published medians for everyone 25 and over with earnings, so they include part-time workers and run lower than full-time figures; median earnings, income, rent and home values are shown only when their margin of error is at most 20%; shares such as rent burden, commutes and broadband are shown only when their margin of error is at most 7 percentage points, and median age only when its margin is at most 20%; rent as a share of bachelor's pay is MajorPays' calculation). Unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2024 annual averages; unemployment by education level (ACS Table B23006) is shown only when its margin of error is at most 2.5 percentage points, so small areas often show none. Jobs per 100 residents, average pay per job and largest industries: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (private-sector, non-farm employers; Census adds noise to protect businesses; jobs are counted where they are located). Income per person: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2023 (model-based estimates with margins of error). Fair market rent: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, fiscal year 2025 (HUD's estimate of gross rent for standard units, generally at the 40th percentile and at the 50th in some areas, set for housing-market areas; it is a program standard, not an average market rent). Pay by industry: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages (jobs covered by unemployment insurance, including government where stated; average annual pay is total wages divided by average jobs, includes bonuses, and is pay per job, not per person; self-employed people are not counted). Home price change: U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual House Price Index for counties (all-transactions index, not seasonally adjusted; it measures how prices of repeat-sale and refinanced single-family homes changed, not the price level; changes are not adjusted for inflation; less reliable for counties with few sales). Recent movers by education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table B07009 (adults 25 and over who lived in a different state or abroad one year earlier; shown only when the margin of error is at most 8 points). Poverty by education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table B17003 (shown only when each margin of error is at most 8 points). Field of bachelor's degree: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table C15010 (shown only when each margin of error is at most 5 points). Jobs located here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages (jobs covered by unemployment insurance in the county; average pay is total wages divided by jobs and includes bonuses and high earners, so it is not a median or what a graduate earns; figures are revised). Gross domestic product: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts, GDP by county, 2024 (current dollars and real growth; revised; areas BEA combines are left out). Residents enrolled in college: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table B14001 (people living in the area who are enrolled in college or graduate school, at any school; shown only when the margin of error is at most a quarter of the estimate). Adults 25 to 34 with a bachelor's or higher: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Table B15001 (shown only when the margin of error is at most 6 points). People ages 18 to 24: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county population by age, vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025 and July 1, 2020; estimates are revised, and changes can swing widely in college towns). Urban-rural classification: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 2023 Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (1 = most urban, 9 = most rural; a classification of the county, not a measure of quality). Shortage-area scores: U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, Health Professional Shortage Areas (designated area-based designations; designations can cover part of a county). MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; none of these agencies has approved or endorsed this presentation. Figures describe a county as a whole, not any person in it. See Data sources for each dataset's terms.