Alaska energy profile

Manufacturing energy costs in Alaska

The current industrial power rate in Alaska is 31.36 cents per kWh (May 2026, EIA), ranking 50 of 51 states and sitting 260% above the national average.

Current prices in Alaska

  • Industrial electricity: 31.36 cents per kWh (May 2026, EIA).
  • Commercial electricity, the rate a warehouse or distribution center in Alaska typically pays: 23.71 cents per kWh.
  • Industrial natural gas: 8.13 per Mcf (May 2026), 90.4% above the national average.
  • Just below Alaska on the price ladder: Massachusetts at 19.94, California at 20.2, Rhode Island at 22.18 cents. Just above: Hawaii at 41.9 cents.

What the rate does to operating cost

  • A 10 kW machine running a 4,000 hour year costs about 12,544 in electricity at Alaska rates versus 3,484 at the national average; at 50 kW the gap is 62,720 versus 17,420, and at 200 kW it is 250,880 versus 69,680.
  • At this rate, efficiency projects clear their hurdle faster in Alaska than almost anywhere: every avoided kWh is worth more, so compressed air leak repairs, VFD retrofits, and scheduling around demand charges deserve a fresh look.

What factory labor pays in Alaska

  • Industrial engineers: $75.25/hr median in Alaska versus $49.25 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Industrial production managers: $54.46/hr median in Alaska versus $60.61 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Welders, cutters, and brazers: $38.87/hr median in Alaska versus $25.84 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Quality inspectors and testers: $37.57/hr median in Alaska versus $23.35 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Production supervisors: $37.48/hr median in Alaska versus $35.79 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Machinists: $37.34/hr median in Alaska versus $28.24 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Alaska employs about 16,000 manufacturing workers as of Jun 2026 (BLS).

Manufacturing base in Alaska

  • Alaska has 576 manufacturing establishments employing about 11,521 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).
  • Largest sectors by establishment count: food manufacturing (161), fabricated metal products (74), wood product manufacturing (41), printing and related support (41), transportation equipment (33).

Sources and update cadence

  • Prices come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and refresh automatically when the agency publishes; this page also archives each month's Alaska observation so the local price history deepens over time.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.