Market rankings · Alaska
Restaurants and cafes in Alaska
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Alaska, ranked by the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 3,172
- 716 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 1,383
- +3.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.2B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 117.3
- 7% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $368K
- In line with the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #37 of 51
- Market score 41 · Lower middle
A site report maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings around any address in Alaska by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
Alaska has 3,172 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 117.3 per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Alaska comes to about $1.2B a year: $4,320 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. That works out to $368K per restaurant, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Alaska was 1,383 in 2023, up 3.8% from 2019. That is one for every 196 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.0% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 46 SBA-backed loans worth $25.7M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Alaska.
Among the 50 states and DC, Alaska ranks #37 for restaurants and cafes, with a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle). Of the 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Alaska, the Anchorage metro area scores highest (56). Of the 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Alaska, the Juneau area scores highest (44).
Every market in Alaska for restaurants and cafes
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
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anchorage, AK | 56 | 1,669 | 112.4 | $401K | +1.9% | #148 of 387 |
| 2Fairbanks-College, AK | 41 | 424 | 116.6 | $362K | −1.4% | #252 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Juneau, AK | 44 | 171 | 129.9 | $347K | −1.8% | #335 of 538 |
| 2Ketchikan, AK | 25 | 107 | 186.7 | $226K | −2.6% | #485 of 538 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bethel Census Area, AK | 76 | 13 | 26.9 | $1.4M | −1.5% | #212 of 2,405 |
| 2Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK | 72 | 375 | 94.1 | $455K | +10.4% | #351 of 2,405 |
| 3North Slope Borough, AK | 54 | 25 | 109.6 | $417K | −3.8% | #1,006 of 2,405 |
| 4Anchorage Municipality, AK | 43 | 1,294 | 119.2 | $385K | −1.3% | #1,486 of 2,405 |
| 5Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK | 42 | 424 | 116.6 | $362K | −1.4% | #1,533 of 2,405 |
| 6Kodiak Island Borough, AK | 41 | 50 | 107.8 | $375K | −5.0% | #1,568 of 2,405 |
| 7Juneau City and Borough, AK | 37 | 171 | 129.9 | $347K | −1.8% | #1,738 of 2,405 |
| 8Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK | 35 | 374 | 153.5 | $261K | +5.1% | #1,849 of 2,405 |
| 9Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK | 23 | 107 | 186.7 | $226K | −2.6% | #2,236 of 2,405 |
| Nome Census Area, AK | Not scored | 14 | 49.7 | $796K | −1.9% | |
| Sitka City and Borough, AK | Not scored | 51 | 148.3 | $291K | −1.3% | |
| Kusilvak Census Area, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −5.2% | |
| Northwest Arctic Borough, AK | Not scored | 8 | 43.8 | $936K | −9.0% | |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK | Not scored | 25 | 100.1 | $362K | +6.5% | |
| Chugach Census Area, AK | Not scored | 34 | 118.8 | $359K | −7.5% | |
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, AK | Not scored | 21 | 86.8 | $392K | +0.6% | |
| Aleutians West Census Area, AK | Not scored | 15 | 156.9 | $329K | +1.2% | |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AK | Not scored | 10 | 43.6 | $726K | −5.1% | |
| Dillingham Census Area, AK | Not scored | 6 | 42.8 | $904K | −7.4% | |
| Aleutians East Borough, AK | Not scored | 5 | 47.8 | $709K | +1.6% | |
| Petersburg Borough, AK | Not scored | 15 | 109.4 | $340K | −0.1% | |
| Copper River Census Area, AK | Not scored | 18 | 149.1 | $257K | +1.9% | |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, AK | Not scored | 12 | 129.9 | $261K | −3.8% | |
| Wrangell City and Borough, AK | Not scored | 12 | 123.0 | $285K | −5.6% | |
| Haines Borough, AK | Not scored | 12 | 133.2 | $294K | −1.0% | |
| Denali Borough, AK | Not scored | 33 | 584.1 | $70K | +0.3% | |
| Skagway Municipality, AK | Not scored | 30 | 666.7 | $62K | −10.7% | |
| Lake and Peninsula Borough, AK | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −6.2% | |
| Bristol Bay Borough, AK | Not scored | 16 | 549.8 | $79K | +2.4% | |
| Yakutat City and Borough, AK | Not scored | 2 | 97.1 | $401K | −1.5% |
Markets with fewer than 5 restaurants and cafes on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many restaurants and cafes are in Alaska?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 3,172 restaurants and cafes in Alaska. 716 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,383 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.8% from 2019. Official counts list 268 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Alaska spend on food away from home?
About $1.2B a year, or $4,320 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,172 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $368K per restaurant. 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 restaurants and cafes?
Alaska has 117.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $368K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Alaska would have about 3,152, against 3,172 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 196 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
Which market in Alaska has the highest market score for restaurants and cafes?
Among 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Alaska, the Anchorage metro area scores highest, at 56 (upper middle). Among 2 scored small-town markets in or partly in Alaska, the Juneau area scores highest, at 44 (lower middle). Among 9 scored counties in Alaska, the Bethel Census Area scores highest, at 76 (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 41 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #37 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 restaurants and cafes 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.
Restaurants and cafes in other states
All 51 states
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- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
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Top markets for restaurants and cafes across the U.S. · All business types in Alaska
Related business types in Alaska
- Sit-down restaurants1,554 listings
- Fast food and sandwich shops292 listings
- Pizza203 listings
- Coffee shops and cafes620 listings
- Bakeries and dessert shops223 listings
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.