ALASKA TRENDS An art director who might, say, design a data graphic for a monthly magazine can expect an average salary of $63,030 in Alaska. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), that’s considerably lower than art directors earn in the Lower 48, mostly in the advertising and movie industries. [Art Director’s note-to-self: check life choices.] An editor who prepares text for publication has a mean annual wage of $53,290, according to BLS. That’s also a bit lower than the same job pays outside of Alaska, [Editor’s note: Sterchi-Lowman, check my life choices, too.] but a bit more than the average emergency medical technician, who earns more in Alaska than elsewhere. The Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development (DOL&WD) counts twenty-six art directors, about the same as the number of audiologists, and eighty-one editors, nearly equal to the number of chiropractors. However, DOL&WD projects that the number of editors will shrink to about seventy by the end of this decade. Let’s blame a declining appreciation for excellent writing. Or computer spellcheckers. Whatever. The entire BLS category of “Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations” totals 2,800 in Alaska, counting every journalist, photographer, disc jockey, professional coach, and floral designer. That’s far less than the single occupation of home health aide. As the boom of babies from the mid-20th century becomes a bulge of senior citizens by the middle of the 21st, healthcare occupations can only gain importance. In this edition of Alaska Trends, we take the pulse of healthcare employment and wages. SOURCE: How health care wages in Alaska rank , Alaska Economic Trends, December 2018 US Bureau of Larbor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_ak.htm#29-0000
How Many MDs? BLS counts 30 Pediatricians, 40 Psychiatrists, 80 Surgeons, 90 General Internal Physicians, 420 Family Physicians, and 660 Other Physicians, for a total of 1,320.
Nurses Dominate Bring Home the Bacon Alaska is the highest paying state for healthcare, followed by Hawaii and California. Here are the highest and lowest paying states. Alaska $98,020 Hawaii $96,670 California $96,130 Mass. $95,660 US AVERAGE $80,760 Kansas $69,170 W. Va $68,280 Arkansas $66,450 Louisiana $64,850 Miss. $64,620 78 | December 2021
Alaska has 6,240 Registered Nurses alone, plus 770 Nurse Practitioners, 330 Licensed Practical and Vocational Nurses, and 50 Nurse Midwives.
Against the Trend While average healthcare wages for most fields in Alaska are higher than the national rate, four fields earn less.
Health Diagnosing/Treating Practitioners Occupational Therapists Athletic Trainers Nurse Midwives
Alaska Average
National Average
$76,630 $82,810 $46,240 $83,580
$84,210 $84,640 $48,630 $103,640
Kids Cost The healthcare occupations with the highest average wages in Alaska are OB/GYNs and Pediatricians. Alaska Business www.akbizmag.com
