Food and drink · Metro area · Alaska
Restaurants and cafes in the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #252 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 2 scored metro areas based in Alaska
- Listings
- 424
- 108 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 168
- +3.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $153.6M
- On food away from home · $4,224 a household
- Spending per listing
- $362K
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 116.6
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 93,972
- −1.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Fairbanks-College metro 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 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
At $4,224 per household (4% above the U.S. average), households in the Fairbanks-College metro area spend about $153.6M a year on food away from home. That is about $362K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 424 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Fairbanks-College metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 25% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 116.6, 6% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 168 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Fairbanks-College metro area in 2023, up 3.1% from 2019. That is one for every 216 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 36 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $285K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Fairbanks-College metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Fairbanks-College metro area declined 1.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Fairbanks-College metro area is 41 (lower middle), #252 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 2 scored metro areas based in Alaska.
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 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 | Fairbanks-College metro area | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 116.6 | 117.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $362K | $368K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 216 | 196 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.1% | +3.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,224 | $4,320 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $88,267 | $92,788 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 168+3.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,612
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $64.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 36Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 424108 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 414The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $285K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places 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 restaurants and cafes 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 cardRestaurants and cafes across Alaska
Every Alaska market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Alaska for restaurants and cafes, 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 | 56 | 1,669 | 112.4 | $401K | +1.9% | #148 of 387 |
| 2Fairbanks-College, AK | 41 | 424 | 116.6 | $362K | −1.4% | #252 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
- Restaurants and cafes41
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops67
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes21
- Bakeries and dessert shops46
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 Fairbanks-College, AK metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 424 restaurants and cafes in the Fairbanks-College metro area. 108 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 168 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.1% from 2019. Another 36 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Fairbanks-College, AK metro area spend on food away from home?
About $153.6M a year, or $4,224 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 424 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $362K per restaurant. 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 restaurants and cafes?
The Fairbanks-College metro area has 116.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $362K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Fairbanks-College metro area would have about 414, against 424 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 216 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for 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 41 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #252 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 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 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.