Food and drink · County · Alaska
Restaurants and cafes in the Bethel Census Area, AK
The restaurants and cafes in the Bethel Census Area, AK, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 76 out of 100: High
Ranked #212 of 2,405 scored counties
#1 of 9 scored counties in Alaska
- Listings
- 13
- 2 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $18.6M
- On food away from home · $3,845 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 3.9 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 26.9
- 76% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 18,391
- −1.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Bethel Census Area
The site report maps the restaurants and cafes 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 Bethel Census 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
For restaurants and cafes, the Bethel Census Area has a Groundwork market score of 76 (high): #212 of 2,405 scored counties and #1 of 9 scored counties in Alaska. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.
As of September 2026, map listings count 13 restaurants and cafes in the Bethel Census Area. Chain locations make up 15% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 26.9 per 10,000 households, 76% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,845 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in the Bethel Census Area spend about $18.6M a year on food away from home. That works out to $1.4M per restaurant, 3.9 times the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 12 businesses with payroll in the Bethel Census Area classed as restaurants and other eating places. That is one for every 402 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $2.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Bethel Census Area. Population estimates put the population change in the Bethel Census Area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Bethel Census Area compares
The same measures for Alaska and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the restaurants and cafes 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 | Bethel Census Area | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 26.9 | 117.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $368K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 402 | 196 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,845 | $4,320 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $73,996 | $92,788 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 76
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 132 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 50The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $2.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Bethel Census 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 Bethel Census Area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 18,391−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 4,828
- Median age
- 28.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 0.7
- Land area
- 40,655 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 0
- Median household income
- $73,996+38.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,078
- Median home value
- $168,100
- 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 Bethel Census Area?
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 restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Bethel Census Area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardRestaurants and cafes across Alaska
Every Alaska market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Alaska for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Alaska, with the Bethel Census Area marked.
Top counties in Alaska
| 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 |
Other business types in the Bethel Census Area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many restaurants and cafes are in the Bethel Census Area, AK?
The Bethel Census Area has 13 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Bethel Census Area, AK spend on food away from home?
About $18.6M a year, or $3,845 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,828 households in the Bethel Census Area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Bethel Census Area, AK compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Bethel Census Area has 26.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 76% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $1.4M, 3.9 times the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Bethel Census Area would have about 50, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 402 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is the Bethel Census Area, AK growing?
Population estimates put the Bethel Census Area at 18,391 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,828 households. The median household income in the Bethel Census Area is $73,996 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 38.2% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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 Bethel Census Area scores 76 for restaurants and cafes (high), #212 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Bethel Census Area. 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.
How the score works · Top markets for restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in the Bethel Census Area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Bethel Census 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 Bethel Census 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.