Food and drink · Metro area · Alaska
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area
The fast food and sandwich shops in the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #93 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 2 scored metro areas based in Alaska
- Listings
- 45
- 40 chain locations (89%)
- Official establishments
- 59
- All limited-service restaurants · +25.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $153.6M
- On food away from home · $4,224 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.4M
- 12% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.4
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 93,972
- −1.4% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Fairbanks-College metro area
The site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops 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 Fairbanks-College metro 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Fairbanks-College metro area comes to about $153.6M a year: $4,224 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That is about $3.4M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 12% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
There are 45 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Fairbanks-College metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 40 are chain locations, or 89%, against 79% across the U.S. That is 12.4 per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 59 businesses with payroll in the Fairbanks-College metro area classed as limited-service restaurants, up 25.5% from 2019. That is one for every 616 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Official counts list 20 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $135K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Fairbanks-College metro area.
Population estimates show the Fairbanks-College metro area declined 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Fairbanks-College metro area scores 67 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #93 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 2 scored metro areas based in Alaska. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Fairbanks-College metro area compares
The same measures for Alaska and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the fast food and sandwich shops 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 | Fairbanks-College metro area | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.4 | 10.8 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.4M | $4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 616 | 552 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +25.5% | +8.4% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,224 | $4,320 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $88,267 | $92,788 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 59All limited-service restaurants · +25.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 995
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $25.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4540 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 50The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $135K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Fairbanks-College metro 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. These official figures cover all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Population and households in the Fairbanks-College metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 93,972−1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 36,359
- Median age
- 35.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 7,335 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 13
- Median household income
- $88,267+14.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,548
- Median home value
- $298,200
- 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 Fairbanks-College metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Fairbanks-College metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardFast food and sandwich shops across Alaska
Every Alaska market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Alaska for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Alaska, with the Fairbanks-College metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Alaska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anchorage, AK | 75 | 181 | 12.2 | $3.7M | +1.9% | #45 of 387 |
| 2Fairbanks-College, AK | 67 | 45 | 12.4 | $3.4M | −1.4% | #93 of 387 |
Other business types in the Fairbanks-College metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes41
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops67
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes21
- Bakeries and dessert shops46
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many fast food and sandwich shops are in the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 45 fast food and sandwich shops in the Fairbanks-College metro area. 40 of them (89%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 59 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 25.5% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Official counts also show 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area spend on food away from home?
About $153.6M a year, or $4,224 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 45 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.4M per shop. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 36,359 households in the Fairbanks-College metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Fairbanks-College metro area has 12.4 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.4M, 12% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Fairbanks-College metro area would have about 50, against 45 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 616 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 25.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Fairbanks-College metro area at 93,972 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 36,359 households. Median household income in the Fairbanks-College metro area is $88,267, 9% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 14.6%, 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 Fairbanks-College metro area scores 67 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #93 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Fairbanks-College metro area. It maps the fast food and sandwich shops 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 fast food and sandwich shops · All 56 business types in the Fairbanks-College metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fairbanks-College metro 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 Fairbanks-College metro 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.