Groceries and convenience · County · Alaska
Convenience stores in the Bethel Census Area, AK
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for convenience stores in the Bethel Census Area, AK, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,718 of 2,261 scored counties
#6 of 7 scored counties in Alaska
- Listings
- 7
- 2 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $28.6M
- On groceries · $5,934 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.1M
- 48% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.5
- 81% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 18,391
- −1.5% since 2020
See the convenience stores around any address in the Bethel Census Area
The site report maps the convenience stores on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Bethel Census Area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
The Groundwork market score for convenience stores in the Bethel Census Area is 33 (lower middle), #1,718 of 2,261 scored counties and #6 of 7 scored counties in Alaska. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $5,934 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in the Bethel Census Area spend about $28.6M a year on groceries. Spread across 7 convenience stores, that is $4.1M per store, 48% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores.
The Bethel Census Area has 7 convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 29%, against 60% across the U.S. That is 14.5 per 10,000 households, 81% above the U.S. rate of 8.0.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for convenience stores in the Bethel Census Area, since they leave out counts under 3. Population estimates put the population change in the Bethel Census Area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Bethel Census Area compares
The same measures for Alaska and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all groceries by the convenience stores counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Bethel Census Area | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.5 | 6.0 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.1M | $10.6M | $7.9M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 7,730 | 3,493 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.9% | +22.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,934 | $6,384 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $73,996 | $92,788 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 72 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as convenience stores in the Bethel Census Area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Bethel Census Area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 18,391−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 4,828
- Median age
- 28.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 0.7
- Land area
- 40,655 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 0
- Median household income
- $73,996+38.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,078
- Median home value
- $168,100
- Jobs located here
- n/a
- Daytime population
- n/aResidents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Bethel Census Area?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Bethel Census Area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardConvenience stores across Alaska
Every Alaska market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Alaska for convenience stores, numbered among those based in Alaska, with the Bethel Census Area marked.
Top counties in Alaska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK | 93 | 17 | 4.3 | $14.9M | +10.4% | #14 of 2,261 |
| 2Anchorage Municipality, AK | 81 | 41 | 3.8 | $17.5M | −1.3% | #137 of 2,261 |
| 3Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK | 78 | 16 | 6.6 | $9.3M | +5.1% | #225 of 2,261 |
| 4Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK | 67 | 24 | 6.6 | $9.6M | −1.4% | #515 of 2,261 |
| 5Juneau City and Borough, AK | 63 | 7 | 5.3 | $12.3M | −1.8% | #636 of 2,261 |
| 6Bethel Census Area, AK | 33 | 7 | 14.5 | $4.1M | −1.5% | #1,718 of 2,261 |
| 7North Slope Borough, AK | 29 | 5 | 21.9 | $3M | −3.8% | #1,839 of 2,261 |
Other business types in the Bethel Census Area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores23
- Grocery stores17
- Convenience stores33
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many convenience stores are in the Bethel Census Area, AK?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 7 convenience stores in the Bethel Census Area. 2 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. No official count is published for convenience stores in the Bethel Census Area: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in the Bethel Census Area, AK spend on groceries?
About $28.6M a year, or $5,934 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.1M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,828 households in the Bethel Census Area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Bethel Census Area, AK compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?
The Bethel Census Area has 14.5 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 81% above the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $4.1M, 48% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the U.S. ratio of convenience stores to household spending, the Bethel Census Area would have about 4, against 7 on map listings.
How fast is the Bethel Census Area, AK growing?
Population estimates put the Bethel Census Area at 18,391 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,828 households. The median household income in the Bethel Census Area is $73,996 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 38.2% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
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. The Bethel Census Area scores 33 for convenience stores (lower middle), #1,718 of 2,261 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Bethel Census Area. It maps the convenience stores 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.
How the score works · Top markets for convenience stores · All 56 business types in the Bethel Census Area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Bethel Census Area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Bethel Census Area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
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.