Washington D.C. ranked #1 with area women earning $866 per week. Mississippi ranked last where median income is only $510 per week. The national median is $638 per week.

The list, based on a July 2009 release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, ranked the median weekly earnings of full-time women workers by state. The full article is available here.

As the largest city in an isolated, sparsely populated state, Anchorage residents account for almost half of the total personal income in Alaska, according to the Anchorage Economic Development Corp. This is a young city, where the median age is just about 33, and payrolls continue to grow. Last year, in the depths of the recession, Anchorage officials proudly marked their city’s 20th consecutive year of job growth.

For one thing, the city’s expansive energy industry helped insulate it from much of the recession. Also, the housing market has not experienced the nation’s highs and lows. “I think that we’ve suffered a little bit, just like everyone else has, just not to the same degree,” says Pauline Hofseth, a real estate licensee in Anchorage. Today, moderately priced homes seem to be “flying off the market,” Hofseth says.

While the city’s crucial tourism and shipping industries have been bruised by the recession, jobs have been added in education and health services, and in government, which represents 20 percent of the city’s jobs. Retailers also continue to move into Anchorage: Target, Kohl’s, Lowe’s, Best Buy, and the Sports Authority have opened new stores.

Click here to read the full story.

The Anchorage Business Confidence Index for 2009 is 51.8

The Anchorage Business Confidence Index for 2009 is 51.8, indicating that the business community anticipates nominal growth when compared to last year. (An index between 51 and 100 indicates a positive outlook, while an index below 50 shows a negative outlook.)

Respondents forecast small increases in several aspects of their own business or organizational activity.

Opinions about gross sales reveal a confidence index of 56.4. The confidence index for net profits and employment is 54.6 and 53.8 respectively. Survey participants expect a very minor decrease in capital expenditures in 2009 (confidence index is 49.3).

Energy prices are perceived as the most significant barrier to future business growth. Nearly half of all respondents also report that high energy prices led to increased prices for services and products they offered.

And while nearly 60 percent of respondents expect the Anchorage economy to fare worse in 2009 compared to 2008; most of these responses were categorized as “slightly” worse (47 percent). Expectations are brighter for Anchorage than they are for the state as a whole (64 percent expect economic declines).

Respondents believe that the most important project to the Anchorage economy is the Alaska gas pipeline, followed by a natural gas pipeline from the North Slope to Cook Inlet and workforce development.

Click here to read the complete study.

There are plenty of places for you to park when you come Downtown, whether for work, shopping, events or just to visit with friends. In this section, you can find information about parking locations in Downtown.

Map updated December 12th, 2008.

Need to know where you can park if you are coming Downtown for a concert, dinner or to shop? We have just what you need! Check out your parking options with our handy map and rate/availability schedule.

NEW! Pay for Parking By Phone

Anchorage downtown parkers now have a convenient new payment option when parking in surface lots operated by the Anchorage Community Development Authority. ACDA now offers the option to pay for parking via your cellphone at 8 of their 9 parking lots throughout downtown Anchorage. Not only can parkers pay for their parking from their cellphone, but they can also add time to their parking spot remotely. Users of the Pay By Phone service also can receive text message reminders that their minutes are about to expire and add more time remotely. No more hurried trips to the vehicle to feed the meter!

Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, has a strong economy that feeds off the state’s rich oil and natural gas supplies, U.S. military presence, and tourism.

Share of jobs in strong industries: 39.3%
Number of workers: 138,768
Metro area unemployment rate: 5.6%
Agriculture jobs: 3.21%
Professional, Scientific, and Technical jobs (legal, accounting etc.): 6.79%
Education jobs: 8.26%
Health-care jobs: 11.36%
Public Administration (Government) jobs: 9.71%

The Anchorage Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) recently launched a new online mapping tool to attract and expand businesses and jobs in Southcentral Alaska. The website – AnchorageProspector.com – provides access to customized market research and commercial property listings in Anchorage, Matanuska-Susitna and Kenai Peninsula boroughs. The online program is the first of its kind in Alaska. A goal of the program is to simplify the process of working with regional government when preparing for relocation and expansion decisions.

“Now businesses will no longer have to leaf through reams of Census Bureau reports for demographic information or contact multiple city departments for basic data and documents,” according to Bill Popp, president & CEO of AEDC.

The free site gathers economic, planning, infrastructure, geographic and demographic information often sought by businesses looking to relocate or expand into a ‘one-stop-shop’ business portal on the Web. It allows users to view, create and print maps; find available commercial or business property; and develop custom demographic radius reports.

Commercial realtors are invited to post their properties on the site and Popp will be speaking at community meetings throughout Southcentral in coming months to introduce the new resource and its applications.

Check it out here.

New office buildings and businesses have been sprouting up all over town, leading one to wonder why commercial development hasn’t been hit as hard as the residential market.

At a forum downtown Monday, business leaders met to discuss the real estate business boom. Chris Stephens, a commercial real estate broker, was one of the featured speakers.

When it comes to the difference between homes and commercial real estate, experts say don’t get confused, Stephens said.

“I think commercial real estate and residential real estate are two different markets,” he said. “While they both have to do with real estate they are really, really different.”

And as demand remains strong, Stephens said the old adage rings true: The three most important aspects of real estate are location, location, location.

“Anchorage has a lot to offer, demographics are outstanding, we have a young highly educated population,” he said. “All those factors come together and make Anchorage very attractive for retail development and as you’ve seen there’s been a tremendous amount of retail development in Anchorage in the last 10-15 years.”

One example of that development is Craig Smith’s car wash, which opened last November.

“We’re the first ones developing this lot,” said Smith, who sold an adjacent lot to Walgreen’s drug stores. “We’re real happy about the development; we’re going to work together to bring in business.”

Smith can look forward to future development, Stephens said.

“We’re going to see a real increase in activity,” he said. “Commercial real estate is a lagging indicator. It follows what the economy does, (and) we’ve had 19 years of growth. I don’t know where else in the country that’s had that. That’s really the driving factor.”

Anchorage is unique in its commercial real estate market. Lower 48 states aren’t fairing nearly as well. It’s clearly a hot topic around town. Monday’s forum downtown sold out in less than 10 minutes.

Explore all that Downtown Anchorage has to offer! Use this handy map to find some of the most exciting places to visit! Click to view larger image (will open in a pop-up window.)

Anchorage Area Map

Find hospitals, the university, airports, & more on this (not to scale) map. Click to view larger image (will open in a pop-up window.)

Anchorage Public Art Map

Public art usually reflects the history, culture and people of the community where it is located.

The artwork in Downtown Anchorage reflects a changing community as it rapidly continues to grow and innovate, while holding onto its original Alaska Native cultural and pioneer roots.

For thirty years the 1% for Art Program of the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Municipality of Anchorage has celebrated artists and the visual environment by installing permanent artwork throughout the state and in the city of Anchorage. And now you can find all of the art with this handy map of Public Art in Anchorage.

Click here to view this map.

Downtown (zip code 99501)

• Population 16,211
• Median Age 37.1

Anchorage (all zip codes)

• Population 260,283
• Median Age 32.4

Percentage of Young Adults (20-29 years) Living in Downtown

• 17% of the total population
• Sixth (6th) highest concentration of Young Adults in the Municipality

Percentage of Baby Boomers (35-54) Living in Downtown

• 33% of the total population
• Eleventh (11th) highest concentration of Baby Boomers in the Municipality

Percentage of Seniors (Age 65 & up) Living in Downtown

• 13% of the total population
• First (1st) highest concentration of Seniors in the Municipality

Percentage of One-Person Households in Downtown

• 46.1% of the total population
• First (1st) highest concentration of One-Person Households in the Municipality

Other Demographics

• Average household size – 2.0
• Average family size – 2.9
• Total housing units –8,054
• Occupied housing units – 7,333
• Vacant housing units – 721
• Homeowner % vacant – 1.8
• Rental % vacant – 5.6
• Occupied housing units – 7,333
• Owner-occupied housing units – 2,271
• Renter-occupied housing units – 5,062
• Avg. household size of owner units – 2.1
• Avg. household size of rental units – 2.0