text: Alaska Economic Report Archives - Alaska Public Media
  Tag: Alaska Economic Report
  How do mushers afford the Iditarod? Anja Radano says every year it's a struggle.
  Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - March 8, 2022
  Running the Iditarod takes months of preparation, training and a lot of money. While some mushers have major tour businesses and sponsors that help fund their kennels and pay for staff, Radano waits tables to help balance the big bills that come with being a dog musher.
  How a rise in oil prices could impact this year's PFD
  Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - February 25, 2022
  With a recent rise in oil prices, the governor is again pushing for a higher PFD, plus an additional payment to boost last year's PFD. Legislators have other ideas.
  Think you have supply chain woes? Try building in rural Alaska, where prices are high and the season is short.
  Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - February 21, 2022
  Every step of the supply chain, from manufacturing to shipping to distribution, has lost any sense of a normal rhythm.
  Alaska schools have long struggled to hire and keep teachers. The pandemic is making it worse.
  Sabine Poux, KDLL - Soldotna - February 3, 2022
  The pandemic is making it even more difficult to hire and retain educators in Alaska. Strains from burnout and absenteeism are piling on the stress for a system that's already buckling under the pressure.
  More tiny homes are coming to the Y-K Delta, thanks to pandemic relief funds. But are they a good idea?
  Greg Kim, KYUK - Bethel - January 27, 2022
  A surge of new housing is coming to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Most of those new units are slated to be of the trendy, tiny home variety. But with households in the region generally much larger than the national average, some tribes are questioning whether tiny homes are a good fit for the communities.
  Anchorage retailers hope for spending rebound fueled by higher wages and 'revenge shopping'
  Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - December 20, 2021
  At Anchorage's Dimond Mall, some retailers are reporting that sales have surpassed pre-pandemic levels thanks to pent-up demand and supply chain shortages that are vexing online shoppers.
  Supply chain bottlenecks are holding up winter gear in Anchorage
  Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - November 22, 2021
  Across Anchorage, with snow covering the ground and temperatures dropping, waitlists for fat-tire bikes and skis are common. The demand for winter outdoor gear is high.
  Alaska's vaccine sweepstakes aimed to get more people vaccinated. It's unclear whether it worked.
  Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - November 5, 2021
  The Alaska Chamber gave out nearly $1 million in a vaccine sweepstakes program, but it's unclear how effective the program has been at increasing Alaska's vaccination rate.
  Toyostoves are scarce this year. That's bad news for keeping homes in rural Alaska warm.
  Greg Kim, KYUK - Bethel - October 14, 2021
  Step into any home in rural Alaska and there's a good chance that a Toyostove is what's keeping it warm. Toyostoves are heaters that run efficiently on stove oil. But the supply of Toyostoves in Alaska is running low, and it's yet another symptom of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - October 12, 2021
  As COVID-19 case rates in Alaska continue to lead the nation, Alaska's largest city has no municipal health measures like a mask mandate or gathering restrictions in place. That's left businesses to navigate which prevention steps to take on their own, which can get complicated for owners trying to weigh the health risks of doing business.
  Alaska's economic recovery lags behind most states
  Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - October 6, 2021
  As of July, Alaska had made up less than half of COVID-related job losses.
  Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - September 26, 2021
  Renters who make 80% or less of area median income for their community are eligible for rental assistance until Friday, Oct. 1.
  Federal eviction moratorium extended for nearly all of Alaska
  Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - August 9, 2021
  The new moratorium only applies to areas experiencing "substantial" or "high" levels of COVID-19 transmission. That's nearly all of Alaska right now.
  Federal child tax credit expected to cut child poverty in Alaska
  Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - July 30, 2021
  An expanded federal tax credit for working families rolled out last week as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. Many have already seen their bank accounts credited $250 to $300 per child this month. It's a plan that experts say will cut child poverty in half across the country — including in Alaska.
  Consumer prices spiked more than 6 percent in urban Alaska over the last year
  Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - July 16, 2021
  Anchorage has seen a consumer price increase of more than 6% in the last year, with some sectors rising by nearly 50%.
  'Cruise ships are back, baby': Alaska's first large cruise ship in 21 months visits Ketchikan
  Eric Stone, KRBD - Ketchikan - July 15, 2021
  The first large cruise ship to visit Alaska since 2019 arrived in Ketchikan early on the morning of July 9. The federally mandated test voyage is the symbolic start of the Alaska cruise season.
  At Anchorage farm, refugees in Alaska gain training and economic opportunity
  Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - July 6, 2021
  The Mountain View farm took the place of a vacant parking lot. Today it's tended by more than 20 immigrant and refugee farmers who live in Anchorage.
  Abbey Collins, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - June 17, 2021
  New breweries have been popping up in Alaska for years, and, despite earlier predictions that growth would plateau, it hasn't let up yet. vv
  Ammo shortage leaves Alaska businesses shooting blanks
  Sabine Poux, KDLL - Soldotna - June 15, 2021
  Alaska and the rest of the U.S. are deep in an ammunition shortage, likely due to a confluence of current events and production setbacks.
  Independent travelers pour into Anchorage as summer tourism season begins
  Abbey Collins, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage - June 1, 2021
  Big cruise ships recently got the green light to sail to the state again. At the same time, independent travelers are showing up in force in Southcentral.