The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Bethel Census Area is a county of Alaska with 18,394 residents. Its economy produced $837 million in 2024 (ranked #12 of 30 counties) and had 6,426 jobs with an average annual pay of $54,820 (#24 for pay). The unemployment rate was 10.3% in 2026M09.
Bethel Census Area produced about $837 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 1.2% of the combined output of the 30 counties of Alaska that BEA reports (about 2.5% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 12th of 30 on that measure. Per resident that is $45,508, 53% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $97,277. In current dollars output grew 2.2% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation. The gap between its output rank (12th) and its output-per-resident rank (28th) shows that population is large relative to the value of what is produced here.
BLS counts 6,426 jobs located in Bethel Census Area on average in 2024, spread over 303 employer sites (about 21 jobs per site). That is 0.35 jobs for every resident, below the 0.45 of the typical county in Alaska, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $54,820, 24% below the average of all counties in the state ($54,820 against $71,673). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 0.7% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are retail trade (37.1% of private jobs, $26,150 a year on average), other services (except public administration) (26.7% of private jobs, $49,666 a year on average), transportation and warehousing (11.6% of private jobs, $66,011 a year on average). Together they hold 75.3% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is transportation and warehousing at $66,011 a year, followed by real estate and rental ($59,286). The county is specialised in an industry: other services (except public administration) (3.0 times the US share, 582 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($26,150), utilities ($30,461). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Bethel Census Area was 10.3%, 162% above the average of the state's counties (10.3% against 3.9%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 6,334. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 10.1% (2026M05) to 11.7% (2026M02); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $73,996 (ACS 2020–2024), 20% below the state median ($73,996 against $92,788). The guide covers 1 city with this as the main county: Bethel. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate.
Counties close to Bethel Census Area in output are Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Kodiak Island Borough, Northwest Arctic Borough, Sitka City and Borough. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 30 counties of Alaska ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 18,394 | 6 of 30 |
| GDP 2024 | $837 million | 12 of 30 |
| GDP per resident | $45,508 | 28 of 30 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 6,426 | 8 of 30 |
| Average annual pay | $54,820 | 24 of 30 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +0.7% | 20 of 30 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 10.3% | 29 of 30 |
| Median household income | $73,996 | 22 of 30 |
Federal jobs in Alaska (324) →All cities of AlaskaState guide: Alaska
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.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Bethel Census Area.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel | 6,312 | $117,255 | $1,678 | $360,200 | 24.5% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 809 | 37.1% | $26,150 | 1.26 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 582 | 26.7% | $49,666 | 3.01 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 252 | 11.6% | $66,011 | 0.93 |
| Real estate and rental | 146 | 6.7% | $59,286 | 1.46 |
| Utilities | 112 | 5.1% | $30,461 | 4.58 |
| Accommodation and food services | 90 | 4.1% | $47,379 | 0.15 |
| Construction | 56 | 2.6% | $40,350 | 0.17 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 52 | 2.4% | $39,924 | 0.48 |
| Administrative and waste services | 36 | 1.7% | $21,947 | 0.10 |
| Wholesale trade | 27 | 1.2% | $19,125 | 0.11 |
| Finance and insurance | 19 | 0.9% | $77,555 | 0.07 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 6,334 |
| Employed residents | 5,680 |
| Unemployed residents | 654 |
| Unemployment rate | 10.3% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 6,426 |
| Employer sites | 303 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage Municipality | 288,976 | $32,113 million | $111,128 | 147,256 | $74,666 | 3.4% |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 112,988 | $4,465 million | $39,520 | 29,515 | $58,329 | 4.1% |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | 95,460 | $7,891 million | $82,666 | 37,015 | $69,700 | 3.5% |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough | 60,413 | $3,590 million | $59,429 | 21,474 | $62,398 | 4.1% |
| Juneau City and Borough | 31,794 | $3,227 million | $101,490 | 17,698 | $68,540 | 2.9% |
| Bethel Census Area | 18,394 | $837 million | $45,508 | 6,426 | $54,820 | 10.3% |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | 13,768 | $1,237 million | $89,882 | 7,277 | $62,614 | 3.0% |
| Kodiak Island Borough | 12,771 | $989 million | $77,450 | 5,539 | $60,845 | 3.0% |
| North Slope Borough | 10,810 | $8,088 million | $748,175 | 11,794 | $128,567 | 3.4% |
| Nome Census Area | 9,866 | $603 million | $61,135 | 3,893 | $75,229 | 7.6% |
| Sitka City and Borough | 8,368 | $735 million | $87,798 | 4,479 | $61,555 | 2.7% |
| Kusilvak Census Area | 8,176 | $181 million | $22,155 | 1,959 | $38,914 | 15.7% |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | 7,441 | $744 million | $99,920 | 2,999 | $89,651 | 9.1% |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | 7,068 | $1,055 million | $149,229 | 3,187 | $90,122 | 5.3% |
| Chugach Census Area | 6,862 | $1,473 million | $214,588 | 3,593 | $74,978 | 3.7% |
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | 5,715 | $294 million | $51,444 | 2,111 | $54,711 | 7.2% |
| Aleutians West Census Area | 5,235 | $1,346 million | $257,133 | 3,267 | $83,204 | 2.3% |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | 5,195 | $384 million | $73,853 | 2,292 | $52,125 | 8.7% |
| Dillingham Census Area | 4,724 | $324 million | $68,597 | 2,091 | $67,566 | 7.1% |
| Aleutians East Borough | 3,491 | $289 million | $82,761 | 1,736 | $71,381 | 2.6% |
| Petersburg Borough | 3,409 | $217 million | $63,522 | 1,228 | $55,599 | 3.1% |
| Copper River Census Area | 2,626 | $169 million | $64,335 | 1,107 | $56,861 | 6.7% |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | 2,311 | $144 million | $62,391 | 1,026 | $51,184 | 4.1% |
| Wrangell-Petersburg City and Borough | 2,088 | $119 million | $56,773 | 778 | $56,956 | 4.1% |
| Haines Borough | 2,086 | $150 million | $71,774 | 1,038 | $51,748 | 4.9% |
| Denali Borough | 1,969 | $413 million | $209,798 | 1,965 | $67,009 | 2.1% |
| Skagway Municipality | 1,244 | $128 million | $103,161 | 915 | $58,010 | 2.5% |
| Lake and Peninsula Borough | 1,013 | $142 million | $139,900 | 867 | $51,234 | 6.4% |
| Bristol Bay Borough | 918 | $179 million | $194,757 | 1,228 | $70,779 | 4.2% |
| Yakutat City and Borough | 527 | $42 million | $80,402 | 330 | $62,398 | 3.6% |
18,394 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$837 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
10.3% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
6,426 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $54,820 (BLS QCEW).