County food-access profile · Alaska
Northwest Arctic Borough, AK
Northwest Arctic Borough sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 46.2%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 35.8%
- on SNAP
- 7K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
46.2% of Northwest Arctic Borough residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 2 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 64.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 17.9%
- 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).
Northwest Arctic Borough carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 46.2% is well above the national share. 1 of the county's 2 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 3,474 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,198 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 Northwest Arctic Borough compares nationally
Northwest Arctic Borough sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 46.2% low-access share outpaces 92% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #260 most-affected nationwide.
Northwest Arctic Borough: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 2 census tracts in Northwest Arctic Borough, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Northwest Arctic Borough vs. other Alaska counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Alaska
- Northwest Arctic Borough
Northwest Arctic Borough, AK
46.2 % 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 | 2 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 7,523 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 3,474 |
| Low-Access Share | 46.2%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,198 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 7,441 |
| Median Household Income | $84,018 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.9%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 654 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 35.8%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 64.6%well above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 6.5% |
About 35.8% of Northwest Arctic Borough households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 46.2% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 35.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 654 households here.
- 64.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Northwest Arctic Borough
well above the national share
1 of Northwest Arctic Borough's 2 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 50.0% of all its tracts.
An estimated 3,474 residents, roughly 46.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,198 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 1 tract (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Northwest Arctic Borough
Northwest Arctic Borough has 22 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 17 locations (77% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 17
- blankenship trading post, kiana
- bubba grub, noorvik
- deering native store, deering
- empress store & gifts, kotzebue
- h & a store n/a, kobuk
- kivalina native store, kivalina
- kobuk river lodge & general store, llc, ambler
- lees sea air, kiana
- lj's, ambler
- noorvik native store, noorvik
- noatak native store, noatak
- northstar alaska 2, kotzebue
- poppas store, kobuk
- selawik ira fuel project, selawik
- shungnak native store, shungnak
- vitus kotzebue kotz, kotzebue
- zamara's grocery, selawik
Combination Grocery/Other · 3
- alaska commercial co 230, kiana
- alaska commercial company 395, kotzebue
- buckland native store, fairbanks
Small Grocery Store · 2
- harry o brown trading, kobuk
- sally's 1, kobuk
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Alaska
Compare Northwest Arctic Borough vs Aleutians East Borough → · All Alaska counties →
Food access nationally, Alaska in context
Northwest Arctic 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 Northwest Arctic Borough has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Northwest Arctic Borough? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Northwest Arctic Borough? ▼
Is Northwest Arctic Borough a food desert? ▼
What share of Northwest Arctic 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.