Fairbanks, Alaska

What Fairbanks is made of: the communities whose institutions are here, the sectors its 4,180 businesses sit in, the franchises already on the ground, and the services a newcomer could start.

4,180 businesses on file · 136 trades · 33 sectors · census population 32,242 · built from geonet.alaska on 2026-10-07

Businesses4,180
0% carry coordinates
Specialised in12
trades above the national pattern
Best suited tono cohort stands out
on the census signals below
Franchise brands63
already operating here

Visiting rather than moving? The free guidebook for Fairbanks → — the free guidebook for this region: why go, what to see, what is open when it rains.

1

The local economy

What the business base is made of, what it is specialised in against the national pattern, and what that mix implies. This is the part a development office would read first.

Composition, not health. geonet records what trades exist and where; it does not record formation, closure, employment or revenue, so none of those appear here. What makes this economics rather than a directory is the NAICS coding: it lets the local mix be read against the BLS survival curves and against the 323 industry groups this research has screened.

The two biggest markets here

Every industry group on this page links through to its NAICS page, and to the screened market report where this research has one — that is what the trait-to-NAICS coding buys.

Business density129.6
businesses per 1,000 residents, against the 2021 census count of 32,242
Breadth of the base345
broad — 98 industry groups, top three 22.4%
Survival the mix implies56.2%
at five years, against 51.4% for all private establishments
Coded to NAICS59%
of which 70.3% unambiguous

What this city is specialised in

Location quotient is this city's share of a trade divided by the same share across 10 US metro tables. Above 1.25 is the conventional threshold for a local specialisation.

Thin against the national pattern

Common trades that are under-represented here. For someone deciding what to open, this is the more useful half of the table — though a gap can mean unmet demand or a market that does not work here, and this does not tell you which.

The base against the entry screen

Businesses by the entry signal of the industry group they sit in, from the /markets screen. A large "structure decides" share means most local trades are ones where being better than the incumbent does not by itself win. A trade is matched to the screened record at whatever level the research wrote it — the same code, a broader one, or a narrower one. Where a group holds several screened sub-markets the count is shown, because no single one of them speaks for the whole group.

Enter
21.1%
521 businesses
Caution
47.3%
1,168 businesses
Structure decides
31.6%
779 businesses
Not screened
0%
0 businesses

How to read the survival figure

Each sector's five-year establishment survival rate, weighted by how many of this city's businesses sit in that sector. It is a property of the MIX, not of these businesses — it says what survival this composition would imply at US private-sector rates, because no Canadian equivalent series exists.

Weighted over 94.6% of the coded base — public administration carries no curve. Source: Business Employment Dynamics — Table 7, Survival of private sector establishments by opening year, US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And what it does not measure

A "mixed" trait is one that genuinely spans codes — "computers" covers systems design, repair and supply. The clear share is how much of this reading rests on unambiguous coding. Business density also reflects how completely the directory covers a place, not only how many businesses are in it — so it compares poorly between a city the register knows well and one it does not.

2

Who lives here, and who the city is for

The census: the only figures on this page that count people rather than businesses, and the three cohort readings they make possible.

The register says what trades exist. The census says who lives here — and it is the only thing on this page that counts people. Figures are American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates for Fairbanks city, Alaska, the incorporated place, which is the city proper, and every comparison is against the United States as a whole, from the same ACS tables.

Detailed language is not published for American places. B16001, the table with individual languages, has no place-level rows; C16001 is what exists, and it names six languages and groups the rest into families. A Canadian city on this site names about forty.

Population32,242
census 2021
Median age28.6
against 38.7 nationally
Immigrants6.8%
against 13.9% nationally
Median rent$1,470
against $1,348 nationally

Who the city is for

Three readings, each built from real numbers against real benchmarks. This is not an index. Every signal is shown with its own value, its benchmark and which way it points, and the band simply counts how many point the same way — so a reader who disagrees with one signal can drop it and still use the rest.

Seniors

thin

Is this a place to grow old, and is the care here?

Residents 65 and over 11.6% ▼16.8%
Residents 85 and overthe group that needs care rather than the group that is merely retired 0.8% ▼1.9%
Median age 28.6 years ▼38.7 years
Poverty ratethe US poverty threshold — a different definition from the Canadian pages, and not comparable to them 9.6% ▲12.4%
Medical clinics per 1,000 residentsfrom the business register 0.37 –
Pharmacies per 1,000 residentsfrom the business register 0.25 –
Median rent 1470 $/mo –1348 $/mo

A high share of over-65s says other people made this choice; it does not say the care exists. The register has no category for a hospital at all, so distance to an emergency department is still missing.

Students and young adults

moderate

Is there a reason to be here between 19 and 25, and can they afford it?

Residents 20 to 24 13.6% ▲6.5%
Residents 15 to 19the cohort arriving next 5.4% ▼6.5%
Renter householdsa rental market is what makes a place possible to move to 59.5% ▲35%
Median rent 1470 $/mo –1348 $/mo
Unemployment rate 4.2% ▲5.2%
Degree holders in the adult population 26.5% ▼35%
Drinking places and recreationfrom the register 15 –

Post-secondary institutions in the city are listed further down this page; where there are none, a high 20-to-24 share usually means work rather than study.

Newcomers and other-language speakers

moderate

Is there already a community here, and has anyone built anything for it?

Foreign-born residents 6.8% ▼13.9%
Arrived 2010 or laterthe band the ACS publishes; the Canadian pages use 2016 to 2021, so the two are not comparable 39% ▲29.4%
Speak a language other than English at home 13.4% –
Language groups above the reporting floor 8 –
Median household income 72077 $ –78538 $

The American census does not publish individual languages for a city — only the eleven groups below, six of which are single languages. A Canadian city on this site names about forty, so the two sections are not the same depth and should not be read as if they were.

What is spoken at home, and whether anyone built for it

The register-versus-census cross-check on the Canadian pages is not possible here: the ACS publishes language in groups, so "Other Indo-European languages" cannot be matched against an institution that names a community.

Spoken most often at homeSpeakers ShareCommunity in the register Institutions
Spanish 1,831 5.7% not mapped to a marker 0
Korean 609 1.9% not mapped to a marker 0
Tagalog (incl. Filipino) 463 1.4% not mapped to a marker 0
Other and unspecified languages 406 1.3% not mapped to a marker 0
Other Asian and Pacific Island languages 397 1.2% not mapped to a marker 0
French, Haitian, or Cajun 347 1.1% not mapped to a marker 0
Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) 136 0.4% not mapped to a marker 0
Other Indo-European languages 131 0.4% not mapped to a marker 0

The rest of the profile

CharacteristicHereCanada
Residents 65 and over 11.6% 16.8%
Residents 85 and over 0.8% 1.9%
Residents 20 to 24 13.6% 6.5%
Arrived 2016 to 2021 39% 29.4%
Non-permanent residents — —
Speak a non-official language at home 13.4% —
Renter households 59.5% 35%
Spending 30% or more on shelter — —
Participation rate 70.8% 63.5%
Unemployment rate 4.2% 5.2%
Median household income, 2020 72077 $ —
Median after-tax household income, 2020 — —
Prevalence of low income (LIM-AT) 9.6% —
Bachelor degree or higher 26.5% —

The one thing to keep in mind

Five-year estimates pooled over 2019–2023, so a figure is an average of the period rather than a single year, and every value carries a margin of error this extract does not keep. Unlike the Canadian census, which counts everyone, the ACS is a sample — a small place's figures are correspondingly uncertain. ACS five-year estimate for the incorporated place, which is the city proper. It will differ from the figure in wander.regions, which is sometimes a metropolitan population.

Source: American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates — Table-based summary file, 2023, United States Census Bureau, under the US federal government work, public domain. National comparison: The United States row of the same ACS tables, not an average of places — roughly a third of Americans live outside any incorporated place, so summing places would understate the country.

3

The communities the register shows

A community appears in the business register before it appears in prose — a national church, a society, a credit union, a newspaper. Those are counted as institutions, and they are what suggests residents. A restaurant serving a cuisine is counted separately as trade, because every city has those and they say nothing about who lives nearby. The ranking is by institutions.

CommunityInstitutions WorshipTrade Where it shows
Korean 1 1 3
Korean Agape Mission Church
Chinese 1 1 1
Chinese Fellowship
Spanish-speaking — — 5
Thai — — 4
Greek — — 2
Russian — — 2
Dutch — — 2
Japanese — — 1
German — — 1
French — — 1
Jewish — — 1
Scottish — — 1
4

Where the communities are

Streets, not neighbourhood names. The data knows that Greek institutions sit on one street and Greek restaurants on another; it does not know the word "Greektown", so it does not use it.

5

What the city is made of

Every business on file, grouped by the sector it trades in. This is the economic-development view: where the 4,180 businesses actually are, and the specific trades inside each sector.

SectorBusinesses ShareWhat is in it
Construction 387 9.3% general contractor (101) · plumbing (48) · home builder (43) · excavating (35) · painting (35) · concrete (22) · electrician (17) · heating and cooling (16)
Business 294 7% government (128) · accounting (43) · bank (34) · consulting (31) · association (18) · foundation (2) · auction (2) · vending (2)
Living 279 6.7% place of worship (91) · daycare (47) · apartment (38) · cleaning (22) · veterinary (15) · janitor (14) · fire safety (12) · bank (11)
Finance 227 5.4% bank (147) · insurance (46) · credit union (9) · real estate (9) · mortgage (4) · stock broker (3) · garden (1) · auction (1)
Automotive 165 3.9% autos (111) · bank (9) · scooter (7) · auto repair (2) · tires (2) · auto parts (1) · detailing (1)
Dining 147 3.5% restaurant (134) · pizza (6) · steakhouse (3) · pubs (3) · diner (1)
Retail 142 3.4% gifts (56) · photography (21) · jeweler (16) · convenience (14) · antiques (9) · department store (9) · flowers (4) · discount store (3)
Beauty 142 3.4% hair stylist (70) · dentist (37) · barber (12) · bank (3)
Health 137 3.3% physician (39) · medical clinic (12) · bank (12) · chiro (12) · pharmacy (4) · optical (4) · fitness club (2) · home healthcare (1)
Travel 116 2.8% bnb (43) · motel (26) · airline (16) · travel agent (13) · bank (4) · parking (3)
Realty 81 1.9% real estate (81)
Living & Home 80 1.9% greenhouse (4) · garden (1)
Law 79 1.9% mediator (10) · bank (2) · paralegal (1)
Construction & Realty 74 1.8%
Logistics 72 1.7% truck transportation (42) · storage (11) · railroad (3) · bank (1)
Entertainment 69 1.7% games (18) · video (9) · nightclub (8) · video producer (7) · museum (6) · music instruments (6) · amusement (6) · bank (2)
Education 65 1.6% school (48) · library (5) · bank (2) · garden (2) · credit union (2) · writing (1)
Tech 58 1.4% computers (44) · wireless (6) · telecom (2)
Manufacturing 54 1.3% industrial supplier (30) · fabrication (8) · machinery (7) · salvage (4) · chemical (2) · pulp and paper (1) · pallets (1)
Food & Beverage 51 1.2% fruit (2)
6

The franchises already here

Brands from a register of 2,024 franchise systems, matched into this city by name. A high count is a signal in both directions: the territory works, and it may be taken.

22 of these brands are a single common word — Metro, Avenue, Budget — so their counts include businesses that merely share the word. They are marked rather than dropped.

BrandCategory HereWorldwide
Salvation Army retail 3 —
U-Haul car 3 13,700
ACE Hardware hardware 2 4,700
Alamo Rent A Car car 2 1,000
Blockbuster Video video 2 5,900
Fred Meyer retail 2 128
Jiffy Lube auto 2 2,200
Merry Maids cleaner 2 970
Movie Gallery video 2 4,700
Sam Goody retail 2 —
St. John retail 2 —
Taco Bell tacos 2 5,845
Bad Boy retail 1 7
Best Western businesshotel 1 4,200
Budget Rent A Car car 1 1,900
Burger King fastfood 1 11,000
Comfort Inn familyhotel 1 —
Cost Cutters Family Hair Care hair 1 850
Curves For Women fitness 1 10,000
Dollar Rent A Car car 1 600
Eddie Bauer retail 1 370
Edward Jones Investments tax 1 —
Great Clips hair 1 2,600
Harley Davidson locations motorcycle 1 —
Hertz Rent A Car car 1 7,000
Home Depot home 1 2,104
IKON Office Solutions retail 1 400
Little Caesars Pizza pizza 1 1,800
Matco Tools auto 1 1,466
Miracle-Ear specialty 1 1,500
NAPA Auto Parts auto 1 18,000
NOVUS Windshield auto 1 400
Office Depot retail 1 1,091
Pizza Hut pizza 1 10,000
Regis Salons hair 1 12,000
Rent-A-Center retail 1 3,500
Rent-A-Wreck car 1 —
Super 8 economyhotel 1 —
Sylvan Learning school 1 710
Value Village retail 1 190
Wal-Mart retail 1 6,500
Limited name only retail 5 —
Sears name only inc 5 2,300
Manor name only retail 4 —
AllState name only insurance 3 —
Michaels name only retail 3 805
Midas name only auto 3 1,800
Hallmark name only greetingcards 2 5,600
Progressive name only supermarket 2 150
Safeway name only supermarket 2 1,767
Stitches name only retail 2 —
Blackwell name only book 1 6
CARQUEST name only auto 1 3,400
Diana name only supermarket 1 3
Gottschalks name only retail 1 73
Greyhound name only travel 1 —
Husky name only fuel 1 —
Kingfisher name only home 1 680
Nissan name only auto 1 —
Starbucks name only coffee 1 3,500
SuperCuts name only inc 1 2,000
Tesco name only retail 1 1,780
YMCA name only fitness 1 —
7

Real estate as a local trade

Four unrelated jobs share the name: selling existing homes, owning and letting them, managing them for someone else, and building new ones. For anyone weighing a move or a licence these are the counts — and the ownership question goes to /property, which answers it building by building.

Real estate is a local job market in its own right, and four unrelated trades get the same name. Counts are businesses filed under each trade in the register, which lists a brokerage once however many agents work there — so this measures firms, not licensees.

Selling homes

5312
90 firms · LQ 0.46

Offices of agents and brokers — the resale market, and the biggest single trade in most Canadian cities.

Named in the register
  • American Mortgage — 3590 Airport Way
  • Bachner Co — 542 4th Ave # 300
  • College Town Places — 145 E Birch Hill Rd
  • Crown Enterprise — 3627 Airport Way
  • Duffy Gerrie — 3745 Geist Rd # B
  • Gold Coast Mortgage — 334 Old Steese Hwy
  • Karl Schroeder — 755 8th Ave
  • Midnight Sun Real Estate — 100 Cushman St # 308
  • Northern Appraisers — 454 Slater Dr
  • Realty Associates — 755 8th Ave
  • Realty Associates Better
  • Twin City Mortgage — 59 College Rd # 1
  • Wallace Wallace and Wakefield — 201 Old Steese Hwy # 1
  • Wells Fargo Home Mortgage — 324 Old Steese Hwy

Owning and letting

5311
38 firms · LQ 1.33

Lessors of real estate: the buildings themselves, filed under the building rather than the owner.

Named in the register
  • Ambassador Inn — 415 5th Ave
  • Anderson Apartments — 1901 Mary Ann St
  • Cedarwood Apartments — 28 Farewell Ave # B
  • Chena Court Apartments — 1122 8th Ave # 20
  • Clarkson Court Apartments — 211 Clarkson Dr # 11
  • Fairview Manor — 1260 Airport Way # 3a2
  • Flintstone Apartments — 2203 Judd St
  • Glenwood Apartments — 1215 Bunnell St
  • Jackovich Apartments — 98 N Turner St
  • Little Dipper Apartments — 1910 Turner St # 40
  • Midtown Apartments — 950 Gilmore St
  • Northern Call — 211 Clarkson Dr # 67
  • Ravens Roost Apartments — 1428 Gillam Way
  • Willow Woods Apartments — 300 Wedgewood Dr

Managing for owners

5313
2 firms · LQ 0.26

Property managers, who run buildings the landlord does not.

Named in the register
  • Chugach Support Service — 1648 S Cushman St # 205
  • Songs Building Maintenance — 229 Bentley Dr

Building new homes

2361
156 firms · LQ 2.22

Residential builders and the general contractors who work for them.

Named in the register
  • AES Pipeline Power — 3319 Industrial Ave
  • Alaska Accent Const — P.O. BOX 10103
  • C and G Construction — P.O. BOX 73531
  • Claire Construction — P.O. BOX 60449
  • Cozy Homes — PO Box 10656
  • Hallmark Construction
  • Highway Maintenance Manager — 2301 Peger Rd
  • Inland Petroservice — 3690 Braddock St
  • K C
  • Ness Built Remodelers — P.O. BOX 58460
  • Northwest Mining — 2890 Van Horn Rd
  • Osborne Construction Co — 3701 Braddock St
  • Schultz Construction — PO Box 81855
  • Small Project Construction Co — 4135 W Horn Way

Financing it

5222
4 firms · LQ 0.28

Mortgage brokers and non-bank lenders.

Named in the register

On "how many doors"

How many doors a landlord holds is not in any of this. The register files an apartment building under the building, not its owner, and carries no unit count; there is no open dataset of Canadian landlords by portfolio. Where this research has established ownership it is in the /property record for the city, building by building, which is a different and much slower exercise.

8

Work where you go to them

The Ultimate 411 half of local: everything where the customer does not have to come to you.

A shop needs the customer to walk in. These 157 services do the opposite — the mobile mechanic, the mobile groomer, the bookkeeper, the junk haul — and they are the ones a person can start without a lease. 0 of them already match a trait filed in this city's register.

The 157 Service=1 rows in search.local: work where the provider travels to the customer. "present" counts businesses already filed under that exact trait name; a blank is a coverage gap, not proof of absence, because the two vocabularies were built separately.

home services

Short-Term Rental TurnoverAppliance InstallationBabyproofing & Safety InstallsCarpet & Upholstery CleaningDeep CleaningDrywall RepairErrand RunningExterior PaintingFence & Deck StainingFurniture AssemblyGarden Weeding & MaintenanceGrocery Pickup & DeliveryGutter CleaningHandyman (General Repairs)Hedge & Shrub TrimmingHouse CleaningHouse SittingInterior PaintingJunk Removal & Dump RunsLandscape Design & PlantingLawn MowingFall Leaf CleanupMove-In / Move-Out CleaningMoving Help (Labour Only)Moving with TruckOffice CleaningPersonal ShopperPressure WashingMove Things Around the HouseSnow Shovelling & RemovalPacking & UnpackingTV & Picture MountingWardrobe StylingWindow Cleaning

events

BartenderDesignated Driver (Your Car)CateringTents, Tables & ChairsFloristFuneral & Celebration of Life ArrangementsGame-Day Bus or VanBook a Pub for Your GroupKaraoke Machine RentalParty Bus & Group ShuttlePub Crawl HostTaxi to the PubSports & Game PhotographyStag & Doe / Jack & Jill PlanningTailgate Party SetupTrivia Night HostVenue SourcingBig-Game Watch Party SetupWedding OfficiantWedding Planner / Coordinator

pets

Aquarium & Terrarium CleaningCatio (Cat Patio) BuildChicken Coop BuildDog House BuildDog TrainingDog WalkingHome Pet BoardingLost Pet SearchMobile Dog GroomingOvernight Pet SittingBuild & Install a Pet DoorPet Cages & EnclosuresPet Fencing & Dog RunsPet PhotographyPet-Proofing Your HomePet Sitting & Dog WalkingPet TaxiYard Poop Scooping

luxury

Chauffeur & Luxury CarDJ & Sound Gear RentalDJEvent PhotographerEvent PlannerLive MusiciansHair & Makeup ArtistMatchmakerPersonal ConciergePortrait & Headshot PhotographerPrivate ChefVideographerVIP / Social Club MembershipWedding PhotographerYacht & Boat Charter

healthcare

Wheelchair-Accessible TransportGrab Bars, Ramps & Home AccessibilityLight Housekeeping for SeniorsCooking & Meal Prep for SeniorsMedical Appointment EscortMedication & Appointment RemindersMobility Equipment RentalRespite Care for Family CaregiversSenior CompanionshipTech Help for SeniorsWalking Companion

sporting goods

Bike Tune-UpBorrow a Bike or E-BikeBorrow Camping GearBorrow Golf ClubsBorrow Hockey GearBorrow Ice SkatesBorrow a Kayak, Canoe or PaddleboardBorrow Skis, Poles & Ski BootsBorrow a Snowboard & Snow BootsSkate SharpeningSki & Snowboard Tuning

sports

Backyard Rink BuildLocal Fishing GuideGolf CaddieFind Players for a Pickup GamePrivate Sports LessonJoin or Build a Rec League TeamBook Ice, Courts & FieldsWorkout & Sports BuddyRoommates Who Also Like Sports

business

BookkeepingStart a Local BusinessCareer Coaching & RésumésFind a Local ManufacturerFind Local Work / Contract GigsLocal Advertising PlacementPrototype & Small-Batch ProductionTranslation & InterpretationWebsite & Online Presence

outdoors

Brush & Land ClearingChainsaw Rental (from a local owner)Firewood (Cut, Split & Delivered)Log Bucking & Cutting (Chainsaw)Portable SawmillingSmall-Lot Logging & Land ClearingStump GrindingTree FellingWood Splitting

construction

CarpenterElectricianHeating & Cooling (HVAC)Mobile MechanicPlumberRoof RepairSmall Engine RepairWelder / Metal Fabrication

travel

Airport Transfer & Car ServiceCorporate & Business TravelCruise BookingFamily Travel for a WeddingBereavement / Funeral TravelLeisure Travel PlanningLocal Tour Guide

tools

Camera & Lens RentalGenerator RentalLog Splitter RentalParty Equipment RentalPower Tool RentalTrailer & Truck Rental
9

Schools and colleges

wander.schools is a post-secondary table — universities and colleges. K-12 public and private schools are not in it, and only 7 of its 1,686 rows carry coordinates, so these are listed and not mapped.

InstitutionTypeStudentsFounded
UAF University — —

In the business register

Where schooling shows up as a business rather than an institution — which is where K-12, tutoring and childcare appear.

school 48daycare 47
10

Health and care

What a person moving a parent here would ask first. The register files clinics and pharmacies; it has no category for a hospital at all, so hospitals are matched by name and the limit is stated rather than hidden.

Medical clinics12
Pharmacies4
Dental practices37

Matched on the name "hospital"

  • Mount McKinley Animal Hospital — 800 College Rd
  • Fairbanks Memorial Hospital — 1650 Cowles St
  • Interior Community Health Center — 1606 23rd Ave
  • Fairbanks Veterinary Hospital — 1521 Stacia St
  • Northern Hospital Association — 1650 Cowles St
  • Mcafee Chiropractic Health Center — 753 Gaffney Rd
  • Family Pet Animal Hospital — 695 Chena Pump Rd # D

geonet carries no 'hospital' trait, so these are matched on the business name. A distance-to-hospital figure needs a source that states hospital locations.

12

What this record cannot tell you

Named in full, because the gaps are the part most likely to be misread as an answer.

  • Census figures are 2021, taken on 11 May 2021: income is for 2020 and the labour figures were measured mid-pandemic, so the unemployment rate on this page is a 2021 reading rather than a current one.
  • wander.schools is now readable, but it holds universities and colleges only and 1,679 of its 1,686 rows have no coordinates. K-12 public and private schools need a separate source — in Ontario the Ministry of Education school finder, in British Columbia the provincial school list. wander.citytowns, hotels and territories remain denied to the ru user.
  • No 'hospital' trait exists in geonet; distance to a hospital needs an external source such as StatCan's Open Database of Healthcare Facilities.
  • 100.0% of businesses here carry no coordinates, so a map or address lookup would miss them. Postal codes reach 100%.

Built from

  • geonet.alaska — the local business register
  • wander.regions — city name, population, metro
  • search.local — trait vocabulary and the come-to-you services
  • search.cozfranchises — 2,024 franchise brands