Jobs, pay and daily life in North Lakes, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
North Lakes is a city in Alaska with 10,223 residents. The median household earns $101,679 a year and the median rent is $1,441 a month, which is 17.0% of the median household income. It is part of the Anchorage, AK metropolitan area, where BLS counts 177,050 jobs.
How North Lakes compares. Among the 30 largest places in Alaska, North Lakes is #7 by population, #1 for remote work (#1 = most), #24 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #12 for homeownership (#1 = highest). Its county, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, is #19 of 30 counties for average pay ($58,329).
North Lakes has 10,223 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 1.4% of the population of Alaska. It covers 15 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 660 people per square mile. The median age is 36.2, about the same as the state median (36.2 against 35.8). It is a census-designated place: a community the Census Bureau counts as a unit, without a city government of its own, so services such as police, roads and zoning usually come from the county.
The median gross rent is $1,441 a month (rent plus utilities), about the same as the state median ($1,441 against $1,419). Over a year that is 17.0% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $357,600, which is 3.5 times the median household income ($101,679); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 78.4% of households own their home, 17% above the state average (78.4% against 66.8%).
The Anchorage, AK metropolitan area has 177,050 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $60,200 a year, 18% above the national median ($60,200 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (21,740 jobs, median $51,330); transportation and material moving (17,980 jobs, median $49,240); food preparation and serving related (16,180 jobs, median $35,490). The area is most specialised in construction and extraction (1.4 times) and installation, maintenance, and repair (1.3 times), where the share of workers is above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($124,600) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($104,640). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Matanuska-Susitna Borough was 4.1%. 59.5% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Matanuska-Susitna Borough; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 71.2% drive alone, 0.0% use public transit, 0.9% walk, 15.8% work from home. 28.1% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 233% above the state average (28.1% against 8.4%). Remote work is more common than in the state as a whole, which widens the set of employers a resident can work for without moving.
25.7% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 19% below the state share (25.7% against 31.7%). 4.6% of residents were born outside the United States, 41% below the state share (4.6% against 7.7%). The poverty rate is 7.3%, 28% below the state rate (7.3% against 10.1%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 55°F (13.0°C), and the coolest is Jan at 14°F (-9.8°C). About 872 mm (34 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Aug is the wettest month (117 mm) and Mar the driest (45 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: South Lakes (2 miles, rent 18% lower); Gateway (5 miles, rent 21% higher); Tanaina (5 miles, similar rent); Wasilla (6 miles, rent 20% lower). Rent differences are against North Lakes; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Alaska (324) →State guide: AlaskaCountry guideMatanuska-Susitna BoroughAlaska rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 324 federal postings open in Alaska (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 4,990 | 1.30 | $115,290 | $85,840 | $155,150 | +18% |
| Retail Salespersons | 4,710 | 1.06 | $37,520 | $30,890 | $51,200 | +6% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 4,440 | 0.91 | $39,140 | $29,660 | $45,310 | +9% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 4,070 | 1.26 | $40,310 | $35,720 | $55,230 | +8% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 3,600 | 0.82 | $33,280 | $24,810 | $45,070 | +7% |
| General and Operations Managers | 3,290 | 0.82 | $120,030 | $65,050 | $223,230 | +13% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 3,070 | 1.88 | $68,620 | $47,990 | $98,550 | -1% |
| Cashiers | 2,890 | 0.82 | $36,350 | $31,600 | $47,770 | +11% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 2,780 | 1.10 | $40,510 | $28,160 | $51,830 | +10% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 2,620 | 0.78 | $44,510 | $37,240 | $75,070 | +11% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 2,560 | 1.32 | $48,150 | $35,250 | $64,480 | +1% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 2,340 | 0.90 | $26,080 | $24,770 | $65,840 | -26% |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 2,300 | 1.47 | $54,100 | $38,910 | $75,290 | +7% |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,920 | 0.69 | $53,550 | $38,390 | $72,820 | +19% |
| Construction Laborers | 1,860 | 1.49 | $56,160 | $42,680 | $83,530 | +19% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 1,720 | 1.09 | $79,270 | $62,750 | $97,090 | +24% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 1,680 | 0.96 | $57,390 | $37,190 | $83,270 | +16% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | 1,680 | 1.32 | $57,310 | $38,730 | $78,560 | +18% |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 1,680 | 1.53 | $47,080 | $36,240 | $59,270 | +3% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,620 | 0.69 | $66,190 | $48,650 | $88,880 | +13% |
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 1,270 | 10.80 | $232,240 | $59,130 | $369,150 | +0% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 590 | 2.35 | $161,800 | $113,790 | $236,490 | -6% |
| Lawyers | 780 | 0.91 | $153,590 | $89,910 | $336,190 | -4% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 550 | 0.72 | $137,990 | $92,960 | $201,870 | -21% |
| Construction Managers | 900 | 2.08 | $137,980 | $96,310 | $228,330 | +20% |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | 900 | 1.33 | $133,620 | $81,630 | $308,170 | +8% |
| Managers, All Other | 1,000 | 1.41 | $132,210 | $76,510 | $195,190 | -7% |
| Financial Managers | 1,200 | 1.26 | $129,220 | $85,780 | $209,590 | -22% |
| General and Operations Managers | 3,290 | 0.82 | $120,030 | $65,050 | $223,230 | +13% |
| Registered Nurses | 4,990 | 1.30 | $115,290 | $85,840 | $155,150 | +18% |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | 570 | 0.75 | $115,020 | $80,240 | $132,370 | +51% |
| Civil Engineers | 1,110 | 2.66 | $112,740 | $78,940 | $159,320 | +12% |
| Sales Managers | 530 | 0.74 | $100,940 | $70,190 | $174,570 | -32% |
| Commercial Pilots | 590 | 10.94 | $99,920 | $58,570 | $163,530 | -19% |
| Project Management Specialists | 1,270 | 1.04 | $99,580 | $51,360 | $160,730 | -3% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | 1,370 | 1.95 | $97,830 | $59,700 | $135,180 | +23% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | 1,230 | 1.33 | $96,000 | $61,360 | $130,690 | +20% |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | 1,200 | 0.97 | $94,740 | $65,890 | $135,030 | +14% |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 640 | 1.21 | $93,600 | $53,730 | $116,790 | +47% |
| Buyers and Purchasing Agents | 510 | 0.92 | $86,380 | $61,290 | $134,640 | +11% |
These figures are for the whole Anchorage, AK metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $60,200 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.6% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 25.9% |
| Construction | 11.0% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 10.8% |
| Public administration | 9.6% |
| Retail trade | 9.1% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 8.4% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 6.3% |
| Other services | 5.6% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 4.3% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 4.0% |
| Manufacturing | 2.3% |
| Information | 2.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 0.8% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where North Lakes lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 112,988 | $4,465 million | $39,520 | 29,515 | 2,824 | $58,329 | +3.3% | 4.1% | 52,005 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 5,685 | 23.7% | $59,532 | 1.34 |
| Retail trade | 4,350 | 18.1% | $40,584 | 1.48 |
| Construction | 3,509 | 14.6% | $96,570 | 2.26 |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,146 | 13.1% | $28,385 | 1.17 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 988 | 4.1% | $44,342 | 1.11 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 911 | 3.8% | $63,394 | 0.73 |
| Administrative and waste services | 902 | 3.8% | $47,914 | 0.52 |
| Professional and technical services | 826 | 3.4% | $68,715 | 0.40 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 556 | 2.3% | $26,741 | 1.12 |
| Finance and insurance | 533 | 2.2% | $68,890 | 0.44 |
| Manufacturing | 508 | 2.1% | $50,957 | 0.21 |
| Information | 437 | 1.8% | $90,452 | 0.79 |
| Educational services | 392 | 1.6% | $38,758 | 0.64 |
| Utilities | 366 | 1.5% | $108,567 | 3.26 |
| Real estate and rental | 276 | 1.1% | $41,673 | 0.60 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 235 | 1.0% | $33,450 | 0.98 |
| Wholesale trade | 211 | 0.9% | $71,654 | 0.18 |
| Management of companies | 122 | 0.5% | $51,096 | 0.25 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 83 | 0.3% | $92,535 | 0.74 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 71.2% |
| Public transit | 0.0% |
| Walk | 0.9% |
| Work from home | 15.8% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 28.1% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $101,679 |
| Income per person | $45,065 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,441 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 17.0% |
| Median home value | $357,600 |
| Homeowners | 78.4% |
| Poverty rate | 7.3% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 105.4 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $60,200 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: No state tax on wages.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 36.2 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 93.0% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 25.7% |
| Born abroad | 4.6% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 59.5% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -9.8 | 14 | 53 |
| Feb | -8.0 | 18 | 50 |
| Mar | -6.5 | 20 | 45 |
| Apr | 0.4 | 33 | 46 |
| May | 5.9 | 43 | 53 |
| Jun | 10.7 | 51 | 78 |
| Jul | 13.0 | 55 | 92 |
| Aug | 11.8 | 53 | 117 |
| Sep | 7.1 | 45 | 115 |
| Oct | 0.2 | 32 | 86 |
| Nov | -7.1 | 19 | 71 |
| Dec | -8.4 | 17 | 66 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Lakes | AK | 2 mi | 6,180 | $98,141 | $1,178 |
| Gateway | AK | 5 mi | 6,845 | $137,772 | $1,741 |
| Tanaina | AK | 5 mi | 9,646 | $105,536 | $1,398 |
| Wasilla | AK | 6 mi | 9,720 | $67,234 | $1,153 |
| Palmer | AK | 7 mi | 6,268 | $72,201 | $1,125 |
| Fishhook | AK | 8 mi | 5,819 | $111,375 | $1,837 |
| Meadow Lakes | AK | 10 mi | 8,689 | $81,699 | $1,377 |
| Butte | AK | 12 mi | 4,085 | $101,042 | $1,610 |
| Knik-Fairview | AK | 13 mi | 19,972 | $96,437 | $1,588 |
| Anchorage | AK | 31 mi | 288,976 | $103,284 | $1,489 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
10,223 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,441 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 17.0% of the median household income.
$101,679 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
4.1% (BLS county, Matanuska-Susitna Borough (latest month 2026M09)).
Alaska. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.