By SUZANNE DOWNING
July 27, 2026 – Alaska is wealthier, wages are higher, crime is down, more Alaskans are working and the Permanent Fund has grown by more than $26 billion since Gov. Mike Dunleavy took office, according to a new collection of state and federal data being assembled by the governor’s team. The Alaska Story obtained a draft copy of the report, which is still being built out.
The “Top 25 Improvements in Alaska” project compares measurable conditions in 2018, the year Dunleavy was elected, with the latest figures available. It is an initial installment of a much larger collection of metrics expected to be published on a public website as Dunleavy approaches the end of his second and final term.
The figures cover personal income, employment, crime, tourism, resource development, infrastructure and the state’s financial position. They are drawn from sources including the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Alaska Department of Public Safety and Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation.
The report does not claim that every improvement resulted directly from an action by the Dunleavy administration. Some reflect federal spending, private investment or broader economic conditions. Yet taken together, the numbers provide a snapshot of how Alaska has changed during his time in office.
Alaskans’ per-capita personal income increased from $58,997 in 2018 to $80,175 in 2025, according to federal economic data. Median household income rose from $68,730 to approximately $91,260. Those are nominal dollar amounts and are not adjusted for inflation or Alaska’s cost of living.
The state economy expanded from approximately $54.8 billion in 2018 to $75 billion in 2025, making it the largest nominal gross domestic product in Alaska history.
Employment has also climbed above its pre-pandemic level. Alaska had approximately 344,000 nonfarm jobs in May 2026, compared with a 2018 annual average of about 327,700.
Construction workers saw particularly large wage gains. Average hourly earnings in the industry rose from $38 in 2018 to $52.36 in 2025, an increase of nearly 38% before adjusting for inflation.
Business formation increased as well. Alaska issued 22,623 new business licenses in fiscal year 2023, the latest year reported, compared with 16,045 in fiscal year 2018 — a 41% increase. 13,000 new jobs have been created.
The share of Alaskans living in poverty declined from 12.7% in 2018 to approximately 10.2% in 2024, according to Census Bureau estimates.
One of the most consequential changes occurred in the Permanent Fund. Its value grew from approximately $64.9 billion in 2018 to $91.3 billion as of May 31, 2026.
That growth has allowed the fund to contribute more to state government. The annual percent-of-market-value transfer rose from $2.7 billion when the structured draw began in fiscal year 2019 to approximately $3.8 billion in fiscal year 2026. That money now pays for a substantial portion of public services as well as Permanent Fund dividends.
Alaska’s crime figures show significant improvement, although the state continues to face serious public-safety challenges.
The property crime rate declined 47.8% between 2018 and 2024, reaching its lowest level in well over a decade. That category includes burglary, theft and vehicle theft. Burglaries have decreased 56%. Some of that may be attributed to the rolling back of Senate Bill 91, the catch-and-release crime bill signed by Gov. Bill Walker.
The violent crime rate fell 18.4% during the same period, reaching its lowest point since 2015. The overall reported crime rate declined approximately 41.8%.
Tourism rebounded dramatically from the pandemic shutdowns. Summer visitor volume grew approximately 33% between 2018 and 2024, and Alaska recorded 3.08 million visitors during a recent 12-month period.
Southeast Alaska cruise passenger traffic rose 48% from 2018 to 2024, producing record seasons for communities such as Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway.
Tourism-related employment increased from approximately 43,300 jobs in 2017 to about 48,000 in 2023, according to industry research.
The period also brought major advances in resource development.
The Pikka Phase 1 project began producing oil in May 2026, marking the arrival of the first major new North Slope field in years. ConocoPhillips’ Willow project was approximately 50% complete in early 2026 and is on track to begin producing oil in 2029.
In the Interior, the Manh Choh mine near Tok began producing gold in July 2024, adding new mining and transportation jobs to the regional economy.
Alaska goods exports reached a record $6.7 billion in 2025, nearly 39% higher than in 2018. Seafood, minerals and energy products were among the major contributors. Exports are up more than 40%.
Military investment and force presence expanded during the period. Federal defense contract awards in Alaska rose from approximately $1.8 billion in fiscal year 2018 to $2.4 billion in fiscal year 2023. Total defense spending in the state reached $4.5 billion in fiscal year 2024.
The Army reactivated the 11th Airborne Division in 2022 as its Arctic force, while a roughly $600 million construction program at Eielson Air Force Base supported the arrival of 54 F-35 fighter aircraft in two squadrons. The infrastructure program was completed in 2024.
Alaska also secured more than $1 billion in federal broadband funding, including $629 million approved in February 2026 to connect approximately 46,000 homes and businesses, many in rural areas where reliable internet service has long been limited or unavailable.
Federal highway funding rose approximately 26% under the 2021 infrastructure law, providing Alaska with $3.7 billion over five years.
Anchorage, Fairbanks, Ketchikan and Sitka shared $9.9 million in federal funding for airport terminal improvements in 2024. Alaska ports received another $115.4 million in federal funding in 2026 as reconstruction of the Port of Alaska’s aging cargo facilities continued.
Dunleavy, first elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022, cannot seek a third consecutive term. The developing website appears designed in part to create a public record of Alaska’s condition during his eight years in office and to allow residents to examine the underlying trends for themselves.
The 25 measurements are only part of the list that is expected to appear on the website. Additional figures and source material are being assembled for publication as the project develops.
Not every number tells an uncomplicated success story. Higher incomes and wages must be weighed against inflation, the state still faces severe violent crime, and some gains are tied to federal appropriations or private-sector decisions.
But the overall picture is difficult to dismiss: Compared with 2018, when Gov. Bill Walker left office and left a state that was being crushed by crime, Alaska has a larger economy, more jobs, higher incomes, a substantially larger Permanent Fund, lower reported crime, stronger tourism, record exports and several major resource projects moving into construction or production.
Lights on, but nobody home as Alaska Legislature gavels in, promptly gavels out
