Food and drink · County · Alaska
Restaurants and cafes in Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK
The restaurants and cafes in Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,533 of 2,405 scored counties
#5 of 9 scored counties 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough
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 Fairbanks North Star Borough. 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 424 restaurants and cafes in Fairbanks North Star Borough. Of those, 108 are chain locations, or 25%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 116.6 for every 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Fairbanks North Star Borough spend about $153.6M a year on food away from home, or $4,224 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. Spread across 424 restaurants and cafes, that is $362K per restaurant, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 168 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Fairbanks North Star Borough 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 list 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough.
Population estimates show Fairbanks North Star Borough declined 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Fairbanks North Star Borough scores 42 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,533 of 2,405 scored counties and #5 of 9 scored counties in Alaska.
How Fairbanks North Star Borough 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 North Star Borough | 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 | 42 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 163 → 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 Fairbanks North Star 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough
- 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 Fairbanks North Star 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 restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Fairbanks North Star Borough. 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes42
- Sit-down restaurants45
- Fast food and sandwich shops62
- Pizza59
- Coffee shops and cafes26
- 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK?
Fairbanks North Star Borough has 424 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 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. Official counts also show 36 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough and national spending patterns by income.
How does Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Fairbanks North Star Borough 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 national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Fairbanks North Star Borough 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK growing?
Population estimates put Fairbanks North Star Borough at 93,972 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 36,359 households. The median household income in Fairbanks North Star Borough is $88,267 a year, 9% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 14.6% 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. Fairbanks North Star Borough scores 42 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,533 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Fairbanks North Star Borough. 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough
Screening a site or an acquisition in Fairbanks North Star 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 Fairbanks North Star 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.