Americans on the whole were doing well financially heading into 2020, with major markers like unemployment reaching 50-year lows. The pandemic changed all that: During the second quarter of the 2020 fiscal year, our nation's real GDP fell by a whopping 31.4%, a number that hasn't been seen since the Great Depression. Since then the GDP has recovered, the first quarter of 2022 was 11% above the fourth quarter of 2019.
While GDP has recovered since the height of the pandemic, wage growth has not kept pace with inflation. In 2021 average hourly wages increased 4.7% while there was 7% inflation, meaning the worker's purchasing power dropped by 2.4%.
Where you live can make a big impact on your financial situation. The highest earning county in the U.S. earns $147,111, while the lowest earns $22,292. Stacker compiled a list of the lowest-earning boroughs in Alaska using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Boroughs are ranked by the Census' 2020 5-year estimate median household income.
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#30. Chugach Census Area
- Median household income: $90,776
--- 16.7% above state average, 39.7% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 38.2%
--- #211 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 3.6%
--- #3,055 highest among all counties nationwide
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#29. Juneau City and Borough
- Median household income: $88,077
--- 13.2% above state average, 35.5% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 41.4%
--- #144 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.3%
--- #3,037 highest among all counties nationwide
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#28. Aleutians West Census Area
- Median household income: $87,443
--- 12.4% above state average, 34.5% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 40.6%
--- #161 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 2.5%
--- #3,029 highest among all counties nationwide
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#27. Anchorage Municipality
- Median household income: $84,813
--- 9.0% above state average, 30.5% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 41.8%
--- #135 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 5.3%
--- #3,009 highest among all counties nationwide
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#26. Sitka City and Borough
- Median household income: $81,708
--- 5.0% above state average, 25.7% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 34.3%
--- #303 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.0%
--- #2,968 highest among all counties nationwide
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#25. Bristol Bay Borough
- Median household income: $79,808
--- 2.6% above state average, 22.8% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 39.0%
--- #189 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 2.8%
--- #2,945 highest among all counties nationwide
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#24. Kodiak Island Borough
- Median household income: $79,173
--- 1.8% above state average, 21.8% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 39.4%
--- #180 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.6%
--- #2,939 highest among all counties nationwide
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#23. North Slope Borough
- Median household income: $79,083
--- 1.7% above state average, 21.7% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 38.1%
--- #214 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.7%
--- #2,938 highest among all counties nationwide
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#22. Fairbanks North Star Borough
- Median household income: $76,464
--- 1.7% below state average, 17.6% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 37.0%
--- #234 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 5.3%
--- #2,910 highest among all counties nationwide
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#21. Denali Borough
- Median household income: $76,364
--- 1.8% below state average, 17.5% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 36.8%
--- #240 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.5%
--- #2,907 highest among all counties nationwide
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#20. Matanuska-Susitna Borough
- Median household income: $76,118
--- 2.1% below state average, 17.1% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 37.4%
--- #225 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 9.0%
--- #2,900 highest among all counties nationwide
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#19. Aleutians East Borough
- Median household income: $75,833
--- 2.5% below state average, 16.7% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 38.5%
--- #202 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.4%
--- #2,894 highest among all counties nationwide
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#18. Ketchikan Gateway Borough
- Median household income: $74,678
--- 4.0% below state average, 14.9% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 36.7%
--- #243 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.7%
--- #2,875 highest among all counties nationwide
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#17. Skagway Municipality
- Median household income: $71,875
--- 7.6% below state average, 10.6% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 28.7%
--- #573 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 1.5%
--- #2,817 highest among all counties nationwide
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#16. Kenai Peninsula Borough
- Median household income: $69,245
--- 11.0% below state average, 6.5% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 32.1%
--- #384 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 8.8%
--- #2,741 highest among all counties nationwide
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#15. Petersburg Borough
- Median household income: $68,667
--- 11.7% below state average, 5.7% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 28.9%
--- #553 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 5.4%
--- #2,725 highest among all counties nationwide
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#14. Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
- Median household income: $66,941
--- 13.9% below state average, 3.0% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 30.8%
--- #441 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 11.0%
--- #2,650 highest among all counties nationwide
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#13. Haines Borough
- Median household income: $65,014
--- 16.4% below state average, 0.0% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 30.3%
--- #464 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 9.3%
--- #2,565 highest among all counties nationwide
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#12. Copper River Census Area
- Median household income: $64,745
--- 16.8% below state average, 0.4% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 35.7%
--- #264 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 12.9%
--- #2,549 highest among all counties nationwide
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#11. Northwest Arctic Borough
- Median household income: $63,750
--- 18.0% below state average, 1.9% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 32.5%
--- #370 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.9%
--- #2,493 highest among all counties nationwide
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#10. Nome Census Area
- Median household income: $62,843
--- 19.2% below state average, 3.3% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 27.3%
--- #677 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 8.7%
--- #2,444 highest among all counties nationwide
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#9. Hoonah-Angoon Census Area
- Median household income: $59,926
--- 23.0% below state average, 7.8% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 25.7%
--- #802 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 11.4%
--- #2,241 highest among all counties nationwide
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#8. Yakutat City and Borough
- Median household income: $59,517
--- 23.5% below state average, 8.4% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 22.6%
--- #1,179 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 4.1%
--- #2,207 highest among all counties nationwide
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#7. Wrangell City and Borough
- Median household income: $58,438
--- 24.9% below state average, 10.1% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 27.4%
--- #668 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 5.2%
--- #2,112 highest among all counties nationwide
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#6. Dillingham Census Area
- Median household income: $57,436
--- 26.2% below state average, 11.6% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 23.0%
--- #1,126 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 9.6%
--- #2,036 highest among all counties nationwide
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#5. Bethel Census Area
- Median household income: $54,400
--- 30.1% below state average, 16.3% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 25.9%
--- #786 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 14.5%
--- #1,737 highest among all counties nationwide
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#4. Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area
- Median household income: $54,018
--- 30.6% below state average, 16.9% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 24.0%
--- #990 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 11.5%
--- #1,701 highest among all counties nationwide
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#3. Lake and Peninsula Borough
- Median household income: $48,750
--- 37.3% below state average, 25.0% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 15.9%
--- #2,347 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.1%
--- #1,075 highest among all counties nationwide
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#2. Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area
- Median household income: $41,728
--- 46.4% below state average, 35.8% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 14.0%
--- #2,643 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 19.2%
--- #461 highest among all counties nationwide
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#1. Kusilvak Census Area
- Median household income: $37,358
--- 52.0% below state average, 42.5% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 10.9%
--- #2,972 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 17.0%
--- #230 highest among all counties nationwide
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