Income

Alaska vs California: Unemployment Rate

Alaska has a lower unemployment rate than California.

Alaska

AK · West

Winner

4.8%

Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (BLS, December 2025).

California

CA · West

5.5%

Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (BLS, December 2025).

Visual comparison

Alaska4.8%

California5.5%

Difference: 0.70 percentage points — Alaska leads.

National Rankings

Where They Rank Nationally

See where both states fall among all 50 states for unemployment rate.

Alaska #43 · 4.8%

California #50 · 5.5%

Best Worst

10 Best States — Unemployment Rate

Lower is better

Hawaii

2.2%

South Dakota

2.2%

North Dakota

2.6%

Vermont

2.6%

Alabama

2.7%

Nebraska

3.0%

New Hampshire

3.1%

Wisconsin

3.1%

Maine

3.2%

#10

Mississippi

3.4%

Selected states

#43

Alaska

4.8%

#50

California

5.5%

Alaska ranks 43rd and California ranks 50th nationally for unemployment rate.

Related context

Jobs Picture

Unemployment is one signal — the employment ratio and job growth round out the full picture.

MetricAlaskaCalifornia

Employment / Pop. Ratio 59.8% 60.2% Job Growth -0.4% -0.1% Median Household Income $86,533 $84,097 Poverty Rate 10.4% 12.0%

What this means