Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) / Counties in Alaska

Counties in Alaska by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)

Kusilvak Census Area had the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 30 counties in 2021, at 24.7%. Yakutat City and Borough had the lowest, at 1.6%. The median was 6.9% and the figure for Alaska was 6.9%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest24.7Kusilvak Census Area
Lowest1.6Yakutat City and Borough
Median6.930 counties
Alaska6.9History

Map of counties, 2021

Aleutians East Borough: 4.5 %Aleutians West Census Area: 3.8 %Anchorage Municipality: 5.4 %Bethel Census Area: 18.1 %Bristol Bay Borough: 2.4 %Chugach Census Area: 3.6 %Copper River Census Area: 7.7 %Denali Borough: 2.7 %Dillingham Census Area: 12.6 %Fairbanks North Star Borough: 6.3 %Haines Borough: 3.7 %Hoonah-Angoon Census Area: 15 %Juneau City and Borough: 5.1 %Kenai Peninsula Borough: 8.2 %Ketchikan Gateway Borough: 4.7 %Kodiak Island Borough: 5.8 %Kusilvak Census Area: 24.7 %Lake and Peninsula Borough: 15.8 %Matanuska-Susitna Borough: 7.4 %Nome Census Area: 18.6 %North Slope Borough: 9.2 %Northwest Arctic Borough: 15.7 %Petersburg Borough: 4.7 %Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area: 9.6 %Sitka City and Borough: 5.4 %Skagway Municipality: 12.9 %Southeast Fairbanks Census Area: 10.3 %Wrangell City and Borough: 5.7 %Yakutat City and Borough: 1.6 %Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area: 12.8 %
  • Under 3.8
  • 3.8 to 5.3
  • 5.3 to 6.9
  • 6.9 to 9.8
  • 9.8 to 15
  • 15 and over
%, 2021. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2021

Kusilvak Census Area: 24.7 %Kusilvak Census Area24.7Nome Census Area: 18.6 %Nome Census Area18.6Bethel Census Area: 18.1 %Bethel Census Area18.1Lake and Peninsula Borough: 15.8 %Lake and Peninsula Borough15.8Northwest Arctic Borough: 15.7 %Northwest Arctic Borough15.7Hoonah-Angoon Census Area: 15 %Hoonah-Angoon Census Area15Skagway Municipality: 12.9 %Skagway Municipality12.9Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area: 12.8 %Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area12.8Dillingham Census Area: 12.6 %Dillingham Census Area12.6Southeast Fairbanks Census Area: 10.3 %Southeast Fairbanks Census Area10.3Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area: 9.6 %Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area9.6North Slope Borough: 9.2 %North Slope Borough9.2Kenai Peninsula Borough: 8.2 %Kenai Peninsula Borough8.2Copper River Census Area: 7.7 %Copper River Census Area7.7Matanuska-Susitna Borough: 7.4 %Matanuska-Susitna Borough7.4Fairbanks North Star Borough: 6.3 %Fairbanks North Star Borough6.3Kodiak Island Borough: 5.8 %Kodiak Island Borough5.8Wrangell City and Borough: 5.7 %Wrangell City and Borough5.7Sitka City and Borough: 5.4 %Sitka City and Borough5.4Anchorage Municipality: 5.4 %Anchorage Municipality5.4Juneau City and Borough: 5.1 %Juneau City and Borough5.1Ketchikan Gateway Borough: 4.7 %Ketchikan Gateway Borough4.7Petersburg Borough: 4.7 %Petersburg Borough4.7Aleutians East Borough: 4.5 %Aleutians East Borough4.5Aleutians West Census Area: 3.8 %Aleutians West Census Area3.8Haines Borough: 3.7 %Haines Borough3.7Chugach Census Area: 3.6 %Chugach Census Area3.6Denali Borough: 2.7 %Denali Borough2.7Bristol Bay Borough: 2.4 %Bristol Bay Borough2.4Yakutat City and Borough: 1.6 %Yakutat City and Borough1.6Kusilvak Census Area: 24.7 %Kusilvak Census Area24.7Nome Census Area: 18.6 %Nome Census Area18.6Bethel Census Area: 18.1 %Bethel Census Area18.1Lake and Peninsula Borough: 15.8 %Lake and Peninsula Borough15.8Northwest Arctic Borough: 15.7 %Northwest Arctic Borough15.7Hoonah-Angoon Census Area: 15 %Hoonah-Angoon Census Area15Skagway Municipality: 12.9 %Skagway Municipality12.9Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area: 12.8 %Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area12.8Dillingham Census Area: 12.6 %Dillingham Census Area12.6Southeast Fairbanks Census Area: 10.3 %Southeast Fairbanks Census Area10.3Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area: 9.6 %Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area9.6North Slope Borough: 9.2 %North Slope Borough9.2Kenai Peninsula Borough: 8.2 %Kenai Peninsula Borough8.2Copper River Census Area: 7.7 %Copper River Census Area7.7Matanuska-Susitna Borough: 7.4 %Matanuska-Susitna Borough7.4Fairbanks North Star Borough: 6.3 %Fairbanks North Star Borough6.3Kodiak Island Borough: 5.8 %Kodiak Island Borough5.8Wrangell City and Borough: 5.7 %Wrangell City and Borough5.7Sitka City and Borough: 5.4 %Sitka City and Borough5.4Anchorage Municipality: 5.4 %Anchorage Municipality5.4Juneau City and Borough: 5.1 %Juneau City and Borough5.1Ketchikan Gateway Borough: 4.7 %Ketchikan Gateway Borough4.7Petersburg Borough: 4.7 %Petersburg Borough4.7Aleutians East Borough: 4.5 %Aleutians East Borough4.5Aleutians West Census Area: 3.8 %Aleutians West Census Area3.8Haines Borough: 3.7 %Haines Borough3.7Chugach Census Area: 3.6 %Chugach Census Area3.6Denali Borough: 2.7 %Denali Borough2.7Bristol Bay Borough: 2.4 %Bristol Bay Borough2.4Yakutat City and Borough: 1.6 %Yakutat City and Borough1.6
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)
1Kusilvak Census Area24.7
2Nome Census Area18.6
3Bethel Census Area18.1
4Lake and Peninsula Borough15.8
5Northwest Arctic Borough15.7
6Hoonah-Angoon Census Area15
7Skagway Municipality12.9
8Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area12.8
9Dillingham Census Area12.6
10Southeast Fairbanks Census Area10.3
11Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area9.6
12North Slope Borough9.2
13Kenai Peninsula Borough8.2
14Copper River Census Area7.7
15Matanuska-Susitna Borough7.4
16Fairbanks North Star Borough6.3
17Kodiak Island Borough5.8
18Wrangell City and Borough5.7
19Sitka City and Borough5.4
20Anchorage Municipality5.4
21Juneau City and Borough5.1
22Ketchikan Gateway Borough4.7
23Petersburg Borough4.7
24Aleutians East Borough4.5
25Aleutians West Census Area3.8
26Haines Borough3.7
27Chugach Census Area3.6
28Denali Borough2.7
29Bristol Bay Borough2.4
30Yakutat City and Borough1.6

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed civilians aged 16 and over as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

An average over five years of survey responses, so it moves slowly. The official monthly and annual rates for states and counties are unemployment_rate, from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs (Counties in Alaska by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Alaska by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/alaska-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs. Counties in Alaska by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/alaska-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Alaska by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/alaska-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_alaska_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Alaska by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/alaska-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Alaska by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/alaska-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/alaska-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Kusilvak Census Area, with 24.7% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Yakutat City and Borough, with 1.6% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

Counties in Alaska: more rankings