Groundwork

Market rankings · Alaska

Coffee shops and cafes in Alaska

Every metro area, small-town market and county in Alaska, ranked by the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
620
108 chain locations (17%)
Official establishments
355
All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +20.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.2B
On food away from home
Listings per 10k households
22.9
2.1 times the U.S.
Spending per listing
$1.9M
49% below the U.S.
Rank among states
#51 of 51
Market score 20 · Low

A site report maps the coffee shops and cafes on map listings around any address in Alaska by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

There are 620 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Alaska as of September 2026. Of those, 108 are chain locations, or 17%, against 39% across the U.S. That is 22.9 per 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 11.0.

Households in Alaska spend about $1.2B a year on food away from home, or $4,320 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.9M per cafe, 49% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.

Official counts show 355 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Alaska in 2023, up 20.3% from 2019. That is one for every 762 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 24.3% over the same years. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $2.6M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Alaska.

Among the 50 states and DC, Alaska ranks #51 for coffee shops and cafes, with a Groundwork market score of 20 (low). Of the 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Alaska, the Anchorage metro area scores highest (28). Of the 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Alaska, the Juneau area scores highest (27).

Every market in Alaska for coffee shops and cafes

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Alaska, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Alaska, ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Anchorage, AK2832822.1$2M+1.9%#354 of 387
2Fairbanks-College, AK216919.0$2.2M−1.4%#380 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Alaska, ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Juneau, AK273123.5$1.9M−1.8%#492 of 529
2Ketchikan, AK232543.6$966K−2.6%#509 of 529

Counties

Counties in Alaska, ranked for coffee shops and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK3810125.3$1.7M+10.4%#1,507 of 2,063
2Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK319739.8$1M+5.1%#1,733 of 2,063
3Anchorage Municipality, AK2722720.9$2.2M−1.3%#1,839 of 2,063
4Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK266919.0$2.2M−1.4%#1,863 of 2,063
5Juneau City and Borough, AK243123.5$1.9M−1.8%#1,913 of 2,063
6Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK202543.6$966K−2.6%#1,988 of 2,063
7Kodiak Island Borough, AK191123.7$1.7M−5.0%#1,996 of 2,063
Bethel Census Area, AKNot scored36.2$6.2M−1.5%
North Slope Borough, AKNot scored313.2$3.5M−3.8%
Nome Census Area, AKNot scored27.1$5.6M−1.9%
Sitka City and Borough, AKNot scored720.3$2.1M−1.3%
Kusilvak Census Area, AKNot scored00.0n/a−5.2%
Northwest Arctic Borough, AKNot scored211.0$3.7M−9.0%
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AKNot scored728.0$1.3M+6.5%
Chugach Census Area, AKNot scored931.5$1.4M−7.5%
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, AKNot scored416.5$2.1M+0.6%
Aleutians West Census Area, AKNot scored220.9$2.5M+1.2%
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AKNot scored313.1$2.4M−5.1%
Dillingham Census Area, AKNot scored214.3$2.7M−7.4%
Aleutians East Borough, AKNot scored00.0n/a+1.6%
Petersburg Borough, AKNot scored429.2$1.3M−0.1%
Copper River Census Area, AKNot scored216.6$2.3M+1.9%
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, AKNot scored00.0n/a−3.8%
Wrangell City and Borough, AKNot scored110.2$3.4M−5.6%
Haines Borough, AKNot scored111.1$3.5M−1.0%
Denali Borough, AKNot scored353.1$766K+0.3%
Skagway Municipality, AKNot scored366.7$619K−10.7%
Lake and Peninsula Borough, AKNot scored00.0n/a−6.2%
Bristol Bay Borough, AKNot scored134.4$1.3M+2.4%
Yakutat City and Borough, AKNot scored00.0n/a−1.5%

Markets with fewer than 5 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many coffee shops and cafes are in Alaska?

As of September 2026, map listings count 620 coffee shops and cafes in Alaska. 108 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 355 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 20.3% from 2019. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too. Another 46 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Alaska spend on food away from home?

About $1.2B a year, or $4,320 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 620 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $1.9M per cafe. That spending covers all food away from home, which coffee shops and cafes share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 270,533 households in Alaska and national spending patterns by income.

How does Alaska compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?

Alaska has 22.9 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $1.9M, 49% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Alaska would have about 316, against 620 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 762 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.

Which market in Alaska has the highest market score for coffee shops and cafes?

Among 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Alaska, the Anchorage metro area scores highest, at 28 (lower middle). Among 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Alaska, the Juneau area scores highest, at 27 (lower middle). Among 7 scored counties in Alaska, Matanuska-Susitna Borough scores highest, at 38 (lower middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Alaska scores 20 for coffee shops and cafes (low), #51 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Alaska. It maps the coffee shops and cafes on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

Coffee shops and cafes in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for coffee shops and cafes across the U.S. · All business types in Alaska

Screening a site or an acquisition in Alaska?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

Run a site report See plans
Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Screening many markets at once? Talk to us

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.