Signature · 1.6% low-access (5th pct)

Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK

Ketchikan Gateway Borough lands in the lower national band on low-access (1.6%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.

1.6%
low-access pop.
0
food-desert tracts
8.3%
on SNAP
14K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 AK

USDA FARA access plate

County Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK

LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-GAP · DENSITY-CLEAR

  • LA-ADEQUATE 1.6% low-access
  • BELOW-NATIONAL -20.5 pts vs US
  • LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
  • SNAP-LIGHT 8.3% SNAP
  • VEH-GAP 10.5% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Skagway Municipality ( -1.3 pts)

Lower-band low-access

Ketchikan Gateway Borough lands in the lower national band (1.6%, #2,983 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.

#2,983
national by low-access %
#25
in AK
0
low-access tracts
54
food-desert residents

Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.

Signature read: 1.6% low-access (5th pct) (-20.5 pts vs U.S. low-access).

How Ketchikan Gateway Borough compares nationally

Food access in Ketchikan Gateway Borough compares favorably nationally: its 1.6% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 5% of them (rank #2,984).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Ketchikan Gateway Borough's lower-band USDA tier split

4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .

Food access tier distribution for Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK USDA-defined food-access tiers: 4 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 0 limited, 0 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 4 tracts evaluated. 4 tracts adequate (100.0%) Adequate 100% Limited 0% Severe 0% Food-access tier distribution: Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Ketchikan Gateway Borough has 2 urban and 2 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.

Ketchikan Gateway Borough vs nearby low low-access peers

Poles + nearest peers in Alaska, not a full county-board reprint

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

FARA 2019 · lower low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Ketchikan Gateway Borough
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts4
Atlas Population (2010 basis)13,477
Low-Access Tracts0
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)0
Low-Access Population216
Low-Access Share1.6%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population54

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Ketchikan Gateway Borough
IndicatorValue
Population13,768
Median Household Income$92,885
Poverty Rate8.7%below the national average
SNAP Households477
SNAP Participation Rate8.3%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle10.5%above the national average
Group-Quarters Population2.4%

SNAP retailers in Ketchikan Gateway Borough

Ketchikan Gateway Borough has 11 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 4 locations (36% of the total), followed by super store.

Convenience Store · 4

  • lighthouse grocery, ketchikan
  • three bears south tongass servive 119, ketchikan
  • ward cove deli & liquor, ketchikan
  • wooden wheel cove trading post, ketchikan

Super Store · 2

  • three bears ketchikan 120, ketchikan
  • walmart 2710, ketchikan

Combination Grocery/Other · 1

  • alaskan & proud, ketchikan

Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1

  • wolf point produce, ketchikan

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • alaskan & proud thorne bay market, thorne bay

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • sunrise lodge & general store, edna bay

Supermarket · 1

  • safeway 1818, ketchikan

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).

Other Counties in Alaska

One of 29 counties in Alaska, 6 are shown here.

Compare Ketchikan Gateway Borough vs Aleutians East Borough → · All Alaska counties →

Counties near Ketchikan Gateway Borough's lower low-access or SNAP band

Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Ketchikan Gateway Borough, both outside Alaska so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.

Similar low-access share

Nearest low-access rates outside AK (1.6% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside AK (8.3% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

Ketchikan Gateway Borough inside a lower low-access state context

Ketchikan Gateway Borough sits inside Alaska (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Read with this county

Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .

PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 02130. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.

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.