Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Alaska

Grocery stores in North Slope Borough, AK

The grocery stores in North Slope Borough, AK, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 19 out of 100: Low

Ranked #1,910 of 2,070 scored counties
#6 of 8 scored counties in Alaska

Listings
5
1 chain location (20%)
Official establishments
9
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$14.9M
On groceries · $6,549 a household
Spending per listing
$3M
68% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
21.9
3.2 times the U.S.
Population, 2025
10,582
−3.8% since 2020

See the grocery stores around any address in North Slope Borough

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 North Slope Borough. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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

North Slope Borough scores 19 (low) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #1,910 of 2,070 scored counties and #6 of 8 scored counties in Alaska. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 5 grocery stores in North Slope Borough. One of them (20%) is a chain location, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 21.9, 3.2 times the U.S. rate of 6.8.

Households in North Slope Borough spend about $14.9M a year on groceries, or $6,549 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. Spread across 5 grocery stores, that is $3M per store, 68% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in North Slope Borough was 9 in 2023. That is one for every 253 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Population estimates show North Slope Borough declined 3.8% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How North Slope Borough 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.

Grocery stores in North Slope Borough, AK compared with Alaska and the U.S.
MeasureNorth Slope BoroughAlaskaU.S.
Listings per 10k households21.98.56.8
Spending per listing$3M$7.5M$9.3M
Households per official establishment2531,2882,053
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−4.1%0.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.8%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$6,549$6,384$6,319
Median household income$95,694$92,788$80,734
Groundwork market score1922

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
10 → 9
Employees, 2023
192
Annual payroll, 2023
$5.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
51 chain location
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2The 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 North Slope 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.

Population and households in North Slope Borough

Population, 2025 estimate
10,582−3.8% since 2020
Households
2,281
Median age
32.5
Homes lived in by their owners
49%
Vehicles per household
1.0
Land area
88,798 sq. mi.
People per square mile
0
Median household income
$95,694+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$127,358
Median home value
$218,300
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 North Slope 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 grocery stores on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of North Slope Borough. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Grocery stores across Alaska

Every Alaska market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Alaska for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Alaska, with North Slope Borough marked.

Top counties in Alaska

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

Other business types in North Slope Borough

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many grocery stores are in North Slope Borough, AK?

North Slope Borough has 5 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (20%) is a chain location. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.

How much do households in North Slope Borough, AK spend on groceries?

About $14.9M a year, or $6,549 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $3M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,281 households in North Slope Borough and national spending patterns by income.

How does North Slope Borough, AK compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?

North Slope Borough has 21.9 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 3.2 times the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $3M, 68% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, North Slope Borough would have about 2, against 5 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 253 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.

How fast is North Slope Borough, AK growing?

Population estimates put North Slope Borough at 10,582 people in 2025, down 3.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 2,281 households. Median household income in North Slope Borough is $95,694, 19% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.7%, 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. North Slope Borough scores 19 for grocery stores (low), #1,910 of 2,070 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in North Slope Borough. 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 North Slope Borough

Screening a site or an acquisition in North Slope 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 North Slope 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.