Groceries and convenience · Metro area · Alaska
Grocery stores in the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area
The grocery stores 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 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #72 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 2 scored metro areas based in Alaska
- Listings
- 18
- 5 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $230M
- On groceries · $6,326 a household
- Spending per listing
- $12.8M
- 37% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.0
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 93,972
- −1.4% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Fairbanks-College metro area
The site report maps the grocery 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 18 grocery stores in the Fairbanks-College metro area. 5 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.0, 26% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
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. That is about $12.8M of household spending for each store on map listings, 37% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Fairbanks-College metro area in 2023. That is one for every 3,305 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in the Fairbanks-College metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in the Fairbanks-College metro area is 68 (upper middle), #72 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 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 | 5.0 | 8.5 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $12.8M | $7.5M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,305 | 1,288 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −4.1% | 0.0% |
| 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 | 68 | 22 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11
- Employees, 2023
- 351
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 185 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 25The 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 supermarkets and grocery 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 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 stores across Alaska
Every Alaska market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Alaska for grocery 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 | 75 | 86 | 5.8 | $11.3M | +1.9% | #39 of 387 |
| 2Fairbanks-College, AK | 68 | 18 | 5.0 | $12.8M | −1.4% | #72 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 stores are in the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area?
The Fairbanks-College metro area has 18 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 5 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
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 18 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $12.8M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. 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 stores?
The Fairbanks-College metro area has 5.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $12.8M, 37% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Fairbanks-College metro area would have about 25, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,305 households, against one for every 2,053 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 68 for grocery stores (upper middle), #72 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 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 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.