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.
Nome Census Area is a county of Alaska with 9,866 residents. Its economy produced $603 million in 2024 (ranked #15 of 30 counties) and had 3,893 jobs with an average annual pay of $75,229 (#5 for pay). The unemployment rate was 7.6% in 2026M09.
Nome Census Area produced about $603 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 0.8% of the combined output of the 30 counties of Alaska that BEA reports (about 1.3% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 15th of 30 on that measure. Per resident that is $61,135, 37% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $97,277. In current dollars output grew 7.5% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 3,893 jobs located in Nome Census Area on average in 2024, spread over 290 employer sites (about 13 jobs per site). That is 0.39 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 $75,229, 5% above the average of all counties in the state ($75,229 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 2.4% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are other services (except public administration) (32.8% of private jobs, $74,474 a year on average), retail trade (29.6% of private jobs, $42,765 a year on average), transportation and warehousing (18.6% of private jobs, $113,105 a year on average). Together they hold 81.1% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is transportation and warehousing at $113,105 a year, followed by other services (except public administration) ($74,474). Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($42,765), management of companies ($52,127), information ($45,948). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Nome Census Area was 7.6%, 94% above the average of the state's counties (7.6% against 3.9%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 4,105. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 7.6% (2026M09) to 10.7% (2026M01); 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 $78,681 (ACS 2020–2024), 15% below the state median ($78,681 against $92,788). None of the largest places of the guide has this as its main county, which usually means a smaller or more rural county; the figures above still describe the whole county.
Counties close to Nome Census Area in output are Northwest Arctic Borough, Sitka City and Borough, Denali Borough, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 30 counties of Alaska ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 9,866 | 10 of 30 |
| GDP 2024 | $603 million | 15 of 30 |
| GDP per resident | $61,135 | 24 of 30 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 3,893 | 11 of 30 |
| Average annual pay | $75,229 | 5 of 30 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +2.4% | 12 of 30 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 7.6% | 26 of 30 |
| Median household income | $78,681 | 19 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.
None of the 30 largest places of Alaska has this as its main county, so the guide has no city page here. County figures on the other tabs are complete.
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other services (except public administration) | 377 | 32.8% | $74,474 | 3.22 |
| Retail trade | 340 | 29.6% | $42,765 | 0.87 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 214 | 18.6% | $113,105 | 1.30 |
| Management of companies | 114 | 9.9% | $52,127 | 1.74 |
| Real estate and rental | 56 | 4.9% | $71,614 | 0.93 |
| Information | 32 | 2.8% | $45,948 | 0.44 |
| Finance and insurance | 15 | 1.3% | $59,284 | 0.09 |
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 | 4,105 |
| Employed residents | 3,791 |
| Unemployed residents | 314 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.6% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 3,893 |
| Employer sites | 290 |
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% |
9,866 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$603 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
7.6% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
3,893 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $75,229 (BLS QCEW).