A 2018 study from the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Center for Economic Development determined Alaska had the highest rate of female-owned businesses in the country at 26%. The majority of those businesses are less than five years old, and data suggests they are driving job growth in the state as 89% of new employment in the private sector comes from young companies.
Lead analyst and alumna Richelle Johnson offers her take on these eye-popping trends: “Because our state is so young, we don’t have a lot of embedded gender dynamics, but also the women here are really strong and tough.”
– Eve Lederman, The 100 Companies