Groundwork

Market rankings · Alaska

Grocery stores in Alaska

Markets across Alaska ranked by the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
230
83 chain locations (36%)
Official establishments
210
−4.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.7B
On groceries
Listings per 10k households
8.5
25% above the U.S.
Spending per listing
$7.5M
19% below the U.S.
Rank among states
#48 of 51
Market score 22 · Low

A site report maps the grocery stores 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 230 grocery stores in Alaska. Of those, 83 are chain locations, or 36%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.5, 25% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.

Household spending on groceries in Alaska comes to about $1.7B a year: $6,384 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $7.5M per store, 19% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.

In 2023, official counts showed 210 businesses with payroll in Alaska classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, down 4.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,288 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count held level over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $598K have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Alaska.

Among the 50 states and DC, Alaska ranks #48 for grocery stores, with a Groundwork market score of 22 (low). Of the 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Alaska, the Anchorage metro area scores highest (75). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Alaska, the Juneau area, scores 55.

Every market in Alaska for grocery stores

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 grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Anchorage, AK75865.8$11.3M+1.9%#39 of 387
2Fairbanks-College, AK68185.0$12.8M−1.4%#72 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Alaska, ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Juneau, AK55118.4$7.9M−1.8%#221 of 506
Ketchikan, AKNot scored47.0$9M−2.6%

Counties

Counties in Alaska, ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK88205.0$12.7M+10.4%#75 of 2,070
2Anchorage Municipality, AK72666.1$10.9M−1.3%#358 of 2,070
3Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK71185.0$12.8M−1.4%#371 of 2,070
4Juneau City and Borough, AK52118.4$7.9M−1.8%#948 of 2,070
5Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK45229.0$6.7M+5.1%#1,190 of 2,070
6North Slope Borough, AK19521.9$3M−3.8%#1,910 of 2,070
7Bethel Census Area, AK17714.5$4.1M−1.5%#1,925 of 2,070
8Kodiak Island Borough, AK16817.2$3.6M−5.0%#1,947 of 2,070
Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AKNot scored47.0$9M−2.6%
Nome Census Area, AKNot scored414.2$4.3M−1.9%
Sitka City and Borough, AKNot scored514.5$4.4M−1.3%
Kusilvak Census Area, AKNot scored841.8$1.2M−5.2%
Northwest Arctic Borough, AKNot scored632.9$1.9M−9.0%
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AKNot scored416.0$3.6M+6.5%
Chugach Census Area, AKNot scored517.5$3.6M−7.5%
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, AKNot scored520.7$2.7M+0.6%
Aleutians West Census Area, AKNot scored220.9$3.4M+1.2%
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AKNot scored521.8$2.5M−5.1%
Dillingham Census Area, AKNot scored321.4$2.8M−7.4%
Aleutians East Borough, AKNot scored328.7$2M+1.6%
Petersburg Borough, AKNot scored214.6$4.1M−0.1%
Copper River Census Area, AKNot scored433.1$1.8M+1.9%
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, AKNot scored221.6$2.6M−3.8%
Wrangell City and Borough, AKNot scored220.5$2.8M−5.6%
Haines Borough, AKNot scored222.2$2.7M−1.0%
Denali Borough, AKNot scored00.0n/a+0.3%
Skagway Municipality, AKNot scored244.4$1.4M−10.7%
Lake and Peninsula Borough, AKNot scored00.0n/a−6.2%
Bristol Bay Borough, AKNot scored3103.1$620K+2.4%
Yakutat City and Borough, AKNot scored297.1$629K−1.5%

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

Questions

How many grocery stores are in Alaska?

There are 230 grocery stores on map listings in Alaska as of September 2026. 83 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 210 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 4.1% from 2019.

How much do households in Alaska spend on groceries?

About $1.7B a year, or $6,384 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 230 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $7.5M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. 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 grocery stores?

Alaska has 8.5 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 25% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $7.5M, 19% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Alaska would have about 186, against 230 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,288 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.1% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.

Which market in Alaska has the highest market score for grocery stores?

Among 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Alaska, the Anchorage metro area scores highest, at 75 (high). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Alaska is the Juneau area, at 55 (upper middle). Among 8 scored counties in Alaska, Matanuska-Susitna Borough scores highest, at 88 (high). 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 22 for grocery stores (low), #48 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 grocery 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.

Grocery stores in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for grocery stores 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.

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.