Financial Assistance
provided by:

2. Cash on the Street

2.3 Payments to Individuals—$1.693 billion in 1999

The second largest piece of the state budget pie, about $1.7 billion, was paid to Alaskan households. About half of this was delivered through the fall 1998 Permanent Fund dividend that pumped about $850 million into all corners of the Alaskan economy. This infusion of cash was larger than the payroll of any basic sector industry in the state (mining, including oil and gas, had a payroll of $770 million in 1997), and nearly as big as the payroll of the retail trade sector which was $870 million in 1997. It was about 6% of total household income ($15.2 billion in 1997).

The other half was delivered through a number of programs concentrated in the Department of Health and Social Services. Some of this money was paid to the organizations and businesses providing services to Alaskan households. Since they are categorized as grants in the budget, and because the beneficiaries are clearly identified as individual Alaskans, we include them here as payments to individuals.  

Fiscal Policy Papers