Groceries and convenience · Metro area · Alaska
Grocery and convenience stores in the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #52 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 2 scored metro areas based in Alaska
- Listings
- 55
- 16 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $230M
- On groceries · $6,326 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.2M
- 23% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.1
- 19% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 93,972
- −1.4% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in the Fairbanks-College metro area
The site report maps the grocery and 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 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 55 grocery and convenience stores in the Fairbanks-College metro area. 16 of them (29%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That is 15.1 per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Households in the Fairbanks-College metro area spend about $230M a year on groceries, or $6,326 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 55 grocery and convenience stores, that is $4.2M per store, 23% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Fairbanks-College metro area in 2023. That is one for every 3,030 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show the Fairbanks-College metro area declined 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For grocery and convenience stores, the Fairbanks-College metro area has a Groundwork market score of 71 (upper middle): #52 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 groceries by the grocery and 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 | Fairbanks-College metro area | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.1 | 21.0 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $4.2M | $3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,030 | 1,104 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −3.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,326 | $6,384 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $88,267 | $92,788 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12
- Employees, 2023
- 370
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5516 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 68The 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 grocery and convenience stores 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.
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 grocery and convenience stores 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 cardGrocery and convenience stores across Alaska
Every Alaska market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Alaska for grocery and convenience stores, 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 | 84 | 203 | 13.7 | $4.8M | +1.9% | #11 of 387 |
| 2Fairbanks-College, AK | 71 | 55 | 15.1 | $4.2M | −1.4% | #52 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
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores71
- Grocery stores68
- Convenience stores59
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many grocery and convenience stores are in the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area?
There are 55 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in the Fairbanks-College metro area as of September 2026. 16 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area spend on groceries?
About $230M a year, or $6,326 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 55 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.2M per store. 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 grocery and convenience stores?
The Fairbanks-College metro area has 15.1 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4.2M, 23% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, the Fairbanks-College metro area would have about 68, against 55 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,030 households, against one for every 1,293 across 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 71 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #52 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 grocery and 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 grocery and convenience stores · 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.