County food-access profile · Alaska
Anchorage Municipality, AK
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Anchorage Municipality residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 28.4%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 8.7%
- on SNAP
- 289K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
28.4% of Anchorage Municipality residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 55 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 24
- low-access tracts
- 13K
- food-desert residents
- 5.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.9%
- below poverty line
Low access = living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket. Food deserts add a low-income condition (USDA LILA, 1-and-10-mile measure).
USDA data puts Anchorage Municipality's low-access share at 28.4%, above the national share. 24 of the county's 55 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 82,855 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 13,337 low-income residents.
How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts
The USDA measures food access by distance to the nearest supermarket. A census tract is "low-access" when a meaningful share of residents live more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than ten miles in rural areas. A tract becomes a "food desert" only when it is both low-access and low-income, because distance is far harder to overcome for households without a car or a cushion in the budget. Counts on this page are aggregated from the tract level, where the federal data is actually published, so a single county figure can hide neighbourhoods that are much better or much worse served than the average. Distance also does not capture everything that shapes whether a family eats well: the presence of a full-service grocer rather than a convenience store, public transit, food pantries, and the price and quality of what is on the shelf all matter beyond the radius the Atlas can draw.
How Anchorage Municipality compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Anchorage Municipality's 28.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 66% of them and ranked #1,059 most-affected nationwide.
Anchorage Municipality: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 55 census tracts in Anchorage Municipality, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Anchorage Municipality vs. other Alaska counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Alaska
- Anchorage Municipality
Anchorage Municipality, AK
28.4 % low-access
- Aleutians East Borough
Aleutians East Borough, AK
39 % low-access
- Aleutians West Census Area 21.4
Aleutians West Census Area, AK
21.4 % low-access
- Bethel Census Area
Bethel Census Area, AK
68.6 % low-access
- Bristol Bay Borough
Bristol Bay Borough, AK
56.3 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 55 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 291,826 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 24 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 82,855 |
| Low-Access Share | 28.4%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 13,337 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 288,976 |
| Median Household Income | $103,284 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.9%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 9,473 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.9%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.6% |
About 8.7% of Anchorage Municipality households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 28.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 9,473 households here.
- 5.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access).
USDA low-access figures reflect the 2019 Atlas (2010 tract populations); socioeconomic context is the latest Census ACS 5-year (2024).
What the food-access data shows for Anchorage Municipality
above the national share
5 of Anchorage Municipality's 55 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 9.1% of all its tracts.
A further 19 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 24.
An estimated 82,855 residents, roughly 28.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 13,337 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 31 tracts (56.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Anchorage Municipality
Anchorage Municipality has 111 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 11 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 50 locations (45% of the total), followed by super store.
Convenience Store · 50
- artic & tudor shell, anchorage
- big mike's llc, anchorage
- blue market ak, anchorage
- boniface chevron, anchorage
- cache store 2, llc. 98557, anchorage
- cache store llc, anchorage
- creekside chevron, anchorage
- downtown shell & 15th grill, anchorage
- downtown chevron, anchorage
- eagle river chevron, eagle river
- fireweed chevron, anchorage
- holiday 2746601, anchorage
- holiday 2746602, anchorage
- holiday 2746606, anchorage
- holiday 2746607, anchorage
- holiday 2746610, anchorage
- holiday 2746611, anchorage
- holiday 2746620, anchorage
- holiday 2746624, anchorage
- holiday 2746625, anchorage
- holiday 2746628, anchorage
- holiday 2746629, anchorage
- holiday 2746630, anchorage
- holiday 2746631, anchorage
- holiday 2746632, anchorage
- holiday 2746637, anchorage
- holiday 2746638, anchorage
- holiday 2746639, anchorage
- lucky grocery & deli, anchorage
- mailbox groceries alaska, llc, anchorage
- mama bear market & deli, anchorage
- sevenstar foodmart, anchorage
- tesoro 2 go 60002, anchorage
- tesoro 2 go 60003, anchorage
- tesoro 2 go 60007, anchorage
- tesoro 2 go 60014, anchorage
- tesoro 2 go 60015, anchorage
- tesoro 2 go 60054, girwood
- tesoro 2 go 60061, anchorage
- tesoro 2 go 60062, anchorage
- tesoro 2 go 60071, anchorage
- tesoro 2 go 60072, anchorage
- tesoro 2 go 60073, eagle river
- tesoro 2 go 60079, anchorage
- tesoro 2 go 60080, anchorage
- the liquor store and hollywood mini mart, anchorage
- three bears alaska 105, eagle river
- three mile creek general store, beluga
- vitus ata, anchorage
- vitus energy birchwood brw, chugiak
Super Store · 18
- costco business center 1661, anchorage
- costco wholesale 0010, anchorage
- costco wholesale 0063, anchorage
- fred meyer 11, anchorage
- fred meyer 18, anchorage
- fred meyer 656, anchorage
- fred meyer 668, eagle river
- fred meyer 71, anchorage
- mt view red apple market, anchorage
- natural pantry fresh harvest, anchorage
- new sagaya, anchorage
- target store t-2371, anchorage
- target store t-2372, anchorage
- three bears chugiak 100, chugiak
- walmart 2070, anchorage
- walmart 2071, anchorage
- walmart 2188, eagle river
- walmart supercenter 4359, anchorage
Supermarket · 12
- carrs 1802, anchorage
- carrs 1805, anchorage
- carrs 1807, eagle river
- carrs 1809, anchorage
- carrs 1812, anchorage
- carrs 1817, anchorage
- carrs 2628, anchorage
- crow creek 1839, girdwood
- carrs 0720, anchorage
- carrs 1813, anchorage
- lucky market, anchorage
- new sagaya's city market, anchorage
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- mekong market, anchorage
- span alaska enterprises 600, anchorage
- walgreens 12680, anchorage
- walgreens 13449, anchorage
- walgreens 13656, anchorage
- walgreens 15092, anchorage
- walgreens 15362, eagle river
- walgreens 15653, anchorage
- walgreens 15654, anchorage
Bakery Specialty · 6
- franz family bakery outlet 9056, anchorage
- papa murphy's ak005, anchorage
- papa murphy's ak011 ak011, anchorage
- papa murphy's take n' bake ak007, eagle river
- papa murphys ak-008, anchorage
- papa murphys ak002, anchorage
Medium Grocery Store · 5
- alaska international grocery, anchorage
- mekong market llc, anchorage
- mexico lindo mini market 1, anchorage
- phattra asian market, anchorage
- stop n shop llc, anchorage
Small Grocery Store · 5
- almadinah halal market, anchorage
- dominican groceries, anchorage
- greatland grocery, anchorage
- la villa market, anchorage
- party time food mart, anchorage
Large Grocery Store · 2
- new central market, anchorage
- oriental shopping center, anchorage
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- mike's quality meats, eagle river
- mr prime beef, anchorage
Farmers' Market · 1
- grow north farm, anchorage
Military Commissary · 1
- anchorage area commissary 1119, elmendorf afb
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Alaska
Compare Anchorage Municipality vs Aleutians East Borough → · All Alaska counties →
Food access nationally, Alaska in context
Anchorage Municipality sits inside Alaska (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Understand the Data
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of Anchorage Municipality has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Anchorage Municipality? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Anchorage Municipality? ▼
Is Anchorage Municipality a food desert? ▼
What share of Anchorage Municipality households lack a vehicle? ▼
Data Sources & Methodology
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019): low-access and food-desert tract classifications, low-access population, and low-income low-access counts. ers.usda.gov/food-access-research-atlas
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates: population, median income, poverty, SNAP participation, vehicle access, and group quarters. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
Low access is defined as living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket; a food desert adds a low-income condition. Read the full methodology →
Data current as of (most recent source-data vintage; figures reflect the 2019 USDA Atlas and 2024 Census ACS).
Note: This page presents public USDA and Census data for informational purposes and is not professional advice. Figures reflect the cited dataset vintages and may differ from the most recent local conditions. How this data is sourced & verified.