JUNEAU, Alaska — Most Alaska residents will soon be getting a check for $1,174 simply because they live there.

Each person’s share of the state’s vast oil wealth was announced with much fanfare in Anchorage on Tuesday, with Gov. Sean Parnell ripping open a gold-colored envelope to reveal the number. This day is so widely anticipated in Alaska that the announcement of the Permanent Fund Dividend amount was carried live on television statewide, and there was a live webcast by the governor’s office.

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Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell reveals the amount of this year’s Permanent Fund Dividend checks Tuesday in Juneau. The Associated Press

This year’s check is the smallest since 2006 and $107 less than last year’s amount. Parnell warned that the amount could diminish more in the future, given market volatility and the fact that oil production in the state is declining. Nonetheless, he called this year’s amount “healthy.”

State Revenue Commissioner Bryan Butcher said 647,549 Alaskans were deemed eligible to receive dividends, and about $760.2 million is expected to be paid out. Most Alaskans will get their dividends by direct deposit Oct. 6; the rest will receive checks in the mail.

The 2010 U.S. Census put Alaska’s population at 710,231.

Already, Alaskans are making plans for how they’ll use their dividends, from paying bills to putting the money toward a new car to buying sled dogs. Retailers are advertising “PFD” sales. So is Alaska Airlines, whose offer is popular in a state where few communities are connected to a road system and the cost of going to the nearest city to shop – or just get away – adds up fast.

While the extra money is a great perk, it doesn’t always go far in a state where some rural residents pay $7 or more a gallon for gasoline and one study showed food costs for a week could run into the hundreds of dollars for a family of four.

Vern Weiss owns Moochers Bar and Grill in Nenana, a community of about 380 people 55 miles southwest of Fairbanks. He said he spends about the amount of last year’s check in a week on food and beverages for his business. Still, every bit helps. The economy in that area is tough, and he said he has barely been able to make sure his employees are paid. A dividend check, he said, can help pay a lot of little bills.

Voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1976 to establish the Permanent Fund as a way to stretch out the state’s oil wealth for future generations. At the time, Alaska had just experienced a construction boom spurred by a $900 million bonus payment from energy companies for oil discoveries.

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