The Anchorage population has become more diverse since the 1990s, and with a rapidly increasing immigrant population moving to town, that trend is likely to continue, according to a study by the Institute of Social and Economic Research.
But foreign-born arrivals to the city tend to have lower education levels and have lower incomes, the study said.
Looking at 2000 Census data, the study found that Anchorage houses a 27 percent minority population, nearly 62,000 of a total population of 232,000. That's up from 17.5 percent, or nearly 35,000 of a total of 199,000, in 1990.
Alaska Natives continue to make up the city's largest minority population. But a growing number of foreign-born immigrants are moving to the city.
"Why more immigrants are coming to the city, we don't know," ISER director Fran Ulmer said. "I personally believe that Alaska has job opportunities. That could be part of it. But there's also quality of life, diversity, we have a culture of openness, and Anchorage is a good place to raise a family."
In 2000, nearly 21,000 of Anchorage residents were born outside the United States, a 62 percent increase over the 13,000 here in 1990, according to the ISER study, called Anchorage at 90.
The numbers of Alaska Permanent Fund dividend applications through 2004 show how the trend is continuing. PFD applications to non-citizens showed a 14 percent increase between 1995 and 2000, and up 10 percent from 2000 to 2004.
But the study also shows that immigrant arrivals in the late 1990s were younger, less educated, were less likely to come with families, and had lower incomes than those who came a decade earlier.
According to 2000 Census information, about a quarter of the foreign-born population are children under the age of 16 or are not working. Some 22 percent worked in service occupations, including food preparation and maintenance work, which are generally lower-paying jobs.
Some 19 percent worked in sales and office occupations, while 10 percent worked in production and transportation fields, jobs that generally offer mid-range pay scales. Another 18 percent worked in the higher-paying management, professional and related occupations.
The ISER report notes that the median household income for immigrants who moved to Anchorage between 1995 and 2000 was $39,000. That compares to a median of $43,700 from those who arrived between 1985 and 1990. Anchorage's overall median income was $57,000.
The city's children promise to add greater diversity to the future work force. In 2004, minorities made up 44 percent of the Anchorage School District, and 13 percent of the students spoke languages other than English.
More than 90 different languages are spoken in the city's schools. Proficiency in English language vary among foreign-born students, but some speak no English at all, said superintendent Carol Comeau.
"No matter what kids do in life, they have to be able to read, write and compute," she said. "We're doing everything we can to make sure these kids learn English as soon as possible so they can get a good education so all their options for the workplace will be open to them."
Some 39 percent of the high-school students are minority, compared to 43 percent of the students enrolled in middle school and 46 percent of elementary schools.
The school district's minority population increases 1 to 1.5 percent every year, Comeau said.
Students who don't pick up the English language have a greater chance of failing the high school exit exams, required to earn a diploma. Those who fail earn a certificate of completion, but have a harder time getting a job.
Those who don't complete high school, or don't go on to higher education, have a tougher time finding good jobs than they may have 20 years ago, the ISER study showed.
In 1980, high-school dropouts earned on average 72 percent as much as college graduates. By 2000, they earned only 43 percent as much. And, well-paying jobs that require little education are becoming more rare, the study said.
"It's a tougher job market for young people," Ulmer said. "It used to be that even a high-school dropout could get a job. That's changing."
Melissa Campbell can be reached at melissa.campbell@alaskajournal.com.
