Alaska military dependence is focus of new study

Coast Guard Cutter Chandeleur arrives in Juneau. Oct. 5, 2012.  U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow.
USCG Cutter Chandeleur arrives in Juneau in October 2012. USCG photo by Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow.

Sixty percent of all federal dollars spent in Alaska are devoted to defense spending.

A new study shows just how dependent Alaska is on the military.

The state Labor Department estimates the military will spend $486 million next year on Alaska projects.   The study is published in the December issue of  Alaska Economic Trends magazine.

The largest percentage of residents with ties to the military live in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, where nearly a quarter of the population is employed by the military, or is a military dependent.  The Denali Borough, home to Clear Air Force Station, is second with about 22 percent.

Juneau is command headquarters for the U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska, but the largest Coast Guard presence is in Kodiak.  About 18 percent of Kodiak residents are involved in the military. Most are in the Coast Guard.

Nearly 31,000 active-duty members of the military and their dependents live in Anchorage, but represent only 10 percent of the population in Alaska’s largest city.

In the capital city, the total number of military active duty and dependents reached 824 last year, representing 2.5 percent of Juneau residents, according to the report.

 

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