Local Economic Benefits: Anchorage, AK

In a time of shrinking state and local revenues, and in the wake of a national economic crisis that most profoundly affected those with the least education, education reform must be viewed as a key strategy for strengthening the economy. The Alliance for Excellent Education, with generous support from State Farm®, analyzed the economies of 220+ metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) to determine the economic benefits the MSAs could see by improving high school graduation rates. The findings show that improving educational outcomes creates a wave of economic benefits that include boosting individual earnings, home and auto sales, job and economic growth, spending and investment, and tax revenues.