Biggest Retail Cities in Alaska: Top 25 Towns Ranked
Alaska has 6,125 independent retail places spread across 50 towns. Anchorage leads with 2,213 — 36.1% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
Alaska by the numbers
Where the stores are
Alaska has 6,125 independent retail places — 835.1 per 100,000 residents, 1.15× the national average of 724.8 and 9th of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Anchorage holds 2,213 of them (36.1% of the state total). Fairbanks is second with 700 (11.4%). The 25 towns below account for 93.1% of Alaska's retail; 50 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (608, 9.9% of the state's retail), followed by gift stores (465).
Top 25 retail towns in Alaska
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of Alaska's 6,125 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchorage | 2,213 | 36.1% |
| 2 | Fairbanks | 700 | 11.4% |
| 3 | Wasilla | 530 | 8.7% |
| 4 | Juneau | 419 | 6.8% |
| 5 | Ketchikan | 265 | 4.3% |
| 6 | Soldotna | 224 | 3.7% |
| 7 | Palmer | 199 | 3.2% |
| 8 | Homer | 150 | 2.4% |
| 9 | Eagle River | 135 | 2.2% |
| 10 | Sitka | 123 | 2.0% |
| 11 | Kenai | 122 | 2.0% |
| 12 | Kodiak | 106 | 1.7% |
| 13 | North Pole | 101 | 1.6% |
| 14 | Skagway | 83 | 1.4% |
| 15 | Seward | 59 | 1.0% |
| 16 | Chugiak | 41 | 0.7% |
| 17 | Haines | 37 | 0.6% |
| 18 | Petersburg | 32 | 0.5% |
| 19 | Talkeetna | 31 | 0.5% |
| 20 | Valdez | 29 | 0.5% |
| 21 | Wrangell | 24 | 0.4% |
| 22 | Sterling | 23 | 0.4% |
| 23 | Delta Junction | 21 | 0.3% |
| 24 | Girdwood | 19 | 0.3% |
| 25 | Big Lake | 18 | 0.3% |
Counts use the city/town label on each place, so boroughs, villages and unincorporated areas appear separately from their parent city.
Most common store types in Alaska
The eight largest independent-retail categories in Alaska, with each one's share of the state's 6,125 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 608 | 9.9% |
| 2 | Gift Store | 465 | 7.6% |
| 3 | Miscellaneous Store | 388 | 6.3% |
| 4 | Clothing Store | 307 | 5.0% |
| 5 | Jewelry Store | 261 | 4.3% |
| 6 | Hardware Store | 251 | 4.1% |
| 7 | Sporting Goods Retail | 228 | 3.7% |
| 8 | Furniture and Home Store | 224 | 3.7% |
Each place is counted once under its primary retail category. Grocery, pharmacy, fuel, liquor, cannabis, automotive and mall categories are excluded.
Frequently asked questions
- Which city in Alaska has the most retail stores?
- Anchorage, with 2,213 independent retail places — 36.1% of Alaska's 6,125 total. Fairbanks is next with 700.
- How many independent retail stores are in Alaska?
- 6,125 shoppable independent retail places, or 835.1 per 100,000 residents (1.15× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks Alaska 9th of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in Alaska?
- The construction supplies store: 608 places, or 9.9% of Alaska's retail. Gift Stores are second at 465.
Related reports
Store types where Alaska ranks in the top 10
- Gift Shops by State: Every State RankedAlaska ranks #1 per capita (63.4 per 100k)
- Jewelry Stores by State: Every State RankedAlaska ranks #3 per capita (35.6 per 100k)
- Arts and Crafts Stores by State: Every State RankedAlaska ranks #3 per capita (26.2 per 100k)
- Sporting Goods Stores by State: Every State RankedAlaska ranks #4 per capita (31.1 per 100k)
- Bookstores by State: Every State RankedAlaska ranks #4 per capita (13.5 per 100k)
- Thrift and Vintage Stores by State: Every State RankedAlaska ranks #6 per capita (20.7 per 100k)
- Pet Stores by State: Every State RankedAlaska ranks #7 per capita (25.8 per 100k)
- Music Stores by State: Every State RankedAlaska ranks #8 per capita (8.5 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- Biggest Retail Cities in Wisconsin: Top 25 Towns Ranked49,031 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Wyoming: Top 25 Towns Ranked5,799 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Alabama: Top 25 Towns Ranked36,017 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Arizona: Top 25 Towns Ranked45,964 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Arkansas: Top 25 Towns Ranked23,046 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in California: Top 25 Towns Ranked271,352 retail places
Data & method
- Source: Foursquare Open Source Places (U.S. slice, Apache-2.0), counted by Useful Economy. Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2023 estimates (July 1, 2023).
- What counts as retail: an open place carrying a Retail category label. Grocery and other food retail, pharmacies, convenience stores and fuel, liquor, cannabis, tobacco and vape, automotive, gun and hunting, adult, betting, fireworks, markets and shopping malls are excluded, so the counts describe shoppable independent storefronts rather than all commerce.
- Counting rule: each place is counted once, under its primary retail category and the city/town label on its address. Town tables include only towns with at least five places. Per-100k figures divide by state population; city populations are not used.
- Generated: September 15, 2026. Figures refresh when the source data is re-counted.
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