In the forty years since 1974, Juneau's population has more than doubled, from 16,100 to 33,158. During this period, the greatest increase in population occurred in the decade from 1974 to 1984. The following decades saw slow but steady overall growth. During these decades, while the population grew at a compound growth rate of 1.8 percent from 1974 to 2014, employment grew at a compound rate of 1.9 percent.

Prior to 1984, Juneau was a town dominated by government jobs. In 1984 private sector employment caught up with government employment. The number of private sector jobs continued to surpass government employment in increasing numbers each subsequent decade. This growth in the private sector occurred as a direct result of the need for services and retail goods for the growing population. The opening of two mines in the area and the explosion in number of cruise visitors to Alaska were additional significant contributors to employment growth in the last decade, just as government jobs began to decline.