Food and drink · County · Alaska
Fast food and sandwich shops in Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK
How Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #649 of 2,222 scored counties
#5 of 7 scored counties 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough
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 Fairbanks North Star Borough. 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 45 fast food and sandwich shops in Fairbanks North Star Borough. 40 of them (89%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 12.4 for every 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $4,224 per household (4% above the U.S. average), households in Fairbanks North Star Borough spend about $153.6M a year on food away from home. That works out to $3.4M per shop, 12% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 59 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Fairbanks North Star Borough in 2023, up 25.5% from 2019. That is one for every 616 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Another 20 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $135K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Fairbanks North Star Borough.
Population estimates put the population change in Fairbanks North Star Borough from 2020 to 2025 at −1.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Fairbanks North Star Borough scores 62 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #649 of 2,222 scored counties and #5 of 7 scored counties in Alaska.
How Fairbanks North Star Borough 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 North Star Borough | 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 | 62 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 47 → 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough, 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough
- 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough?
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 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Fairbanks North Star Borough. 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 counties in Alaska for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Alaska, with Fairbanks North Star Borough marked.
Top counties in Alaska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK | 88 | 39 | 9.8 | $4.4M | +10.4% | #32 of 2,222 |
| 2Kodiak Island Borough, AK | 68 | 5 | 10.8 | $3.8M | −5.0% | #432 of 2,222 |
| 3Juneau City and Borough, AK | 66 | 5 | 3.8 | $11.9M | −1.8% | #495 of 2,222 |
| 4Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK | 64 | 25 | 10.3 | $3.9M | +5.1% | #572 of 2,222 |
| 5Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK | 62 | 45 | 12.4 | $3.4M | −1.4% | #649 of 2,222 |
| 6Anchorage Municipality, AK | 57 | 142 | 13.1 | $3.5M | −1.3% | #848 of 2,222 |
| 7North Slope Borough, AK | 41 | 9 | 39.5 | $1.2M | −3.8% | #1,481 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Fairbanks North Star Borough
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes42
- Sit-down restaurants45
- Fast food and sandwich shops62
- Pizza59
- Coffee shops and cafes26
- 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK?
Fairbanks North Star Borough has 45 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 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. 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.
How much do households in Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK 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. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 36,359 households in Fairbanks North Star Borough and national spending patterns by income.
How does Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Fairbanks North Star Borough 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 national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Fairbanks North Star Borough 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK growing?
Population estimates put Fairbanks North Star Borough at 93,972 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 36,359 households. The median household income in Fairbanks North Star Borough is $88,267 a year, 9% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 14.6% 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. Fairbanks North Star Borough scores 62 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #649 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Fairbanks North Star Borough. 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough
Screening a site or an acquisition in Fairbanks North Star Borough?
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 Fairbanks North Star Borough. 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.