Signature · 1 LILA tracts (50% of tracts)
Northwest Arctic Borough, AK
Northwest Arctic Borough's signature pressure is desert tracts: 1 LILA tracts (50% of the book) alongside 46.2% low-access.
- 46.2%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 35.8%
- on SNAP
- 7K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Northwest Arctic Borough, AK
LA-SEVERE · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-GAP · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-SEVERE 46.2% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +24.1 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 35.8% SNAP
- VEH-GAP 64.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 50% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Kodiak Island Borough ( -3.5 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Northwest Arctic Borough sits in the upper national band (46.2%, #260 of 3,079) with 1 LILA tracts.
- #260
- national by low-access %
- #8
- in AK
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 1 LILA tracts (50% of tracts) .
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's elevated USDA tier split
2 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Northwest Arctic Borough has 1 urban and 1 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.
Northwest Arctic Borough vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Alaska, not a full county-board reprint
- Lake and Peni…
Lake and Peni… 100%
100 % low-access
- Dillingham
Dillingham 50.8%
50.8 % low-access
- Northwest Arc…
Northwest Arc… 46.2%
46.2 % low-access
- Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island 42.7%
42.7 % low-access
- Aleutians East 39
Aleutians East 39%
39 % low-access
- Fairbanks Nor… 38.7
Fairbanks Nor… 38.7%
38.7 % low-access
- Kusilvak 0
Kusilvak 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| 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 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| 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% |
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 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 Northwest Arctic Borough vs Aleutians East Borough → · All Alaska counties →
Northwest Arctic Borough inside a higher low-access state context
Northwest Arctic 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 Northwest Arctic Borough, AK are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 02188. 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.