County food-access profile · Alaska
Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Fairbanks North Star Borough 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).
- 38.7%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 6.8%
- on SNAP
- 95K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
38.7% of Fairbanks North Star Borough residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 19 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 4.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 6.1%
- 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough's low-access share at 38.7%, above the national share. 8 of the county's 19 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 37,788 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,544 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Fairbanks North Star Borough's 38.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 86% of them and ranked #454 most-affected nationwide.
Fairbanks North Star Borough: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 19 census tracts in Fairbanks North Star Borough, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Fairbanks North Star Borough vs. other Alaska counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Alaska
- Fairbanks North Star Borough
Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK
38.7 % 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
- Anchorage Municipality
Anchorage Municipality, AK
28.4 % 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 | 19 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 97,581 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 37,788 |
| Low-Access Share | 38.7%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,544 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 95,460 |
| Median Household Income | $88,267 |
| Poverty Rate | 6.1%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,467 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.8%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.6%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.3% |
About 6.8% of Fairbanks North Star Borough households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 38.7% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 6.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,467 households here.
- 4.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough
above the national share
2 of Fairbanks North Star Borough's 19 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 10.5% of all its tracts.
A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.
An estimated 37,788 residents, roughly 38.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,544 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 11 tracts (57.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
Other Counties in Alaska
Compare Fairbanks North Star Borough vs Aleutians East Borough → · All Alaska counties →
Food access nationally, Alaska in context
Fairbanks North Star Borough 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Fairbanks North Star Borough? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Fairbanks North Star Borough? ▼
Is Fairbanks North Star Borough a food desert? ▼
What share of Fairbanks North Star Borough 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.