NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Anchorage, AK

Metro Market Score 73.2 (Difficult), ranked #275 of 298 metros. 968 establishments, 17,378 jobs.

Metro Market Score 73.2

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national accommodation and food services average.

💰High-Cost Market⚡Rising Wages

Wage costs in Anchorage's accommodation and food services sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 90.9 and rising pressure at 78.5. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

55.0

LQ: 1.08

Rank #164 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

90.9

$33,276 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 29.9

Employment growth index

Rank #210 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

78.5

YoY wage change index

968 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Anchorage

968

Establishments

+2.2% YoY

17,378

Total Employment

-0.8% YoY

$33,276

Average Annual Wage

+5.6% YoY

1.08

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Alaska

#1 of 2

accommodation and food services metros in state

Alaska state rank

#14 of 51

for accommodation and food services entry risk

vs State Median

-7.2

better than median (80.4)

Anchorage vs Alaska Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to Alaska overall. The state ranks #14/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Anchorage	AK Statewide
Overall Score	73.2 Difficult	31.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#275 of 298 metros	#14 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Anchorage

Administrative and Support Services 49.0 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 50.1 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 54.6 Construction 55.7 Finance and Insurance 61.9 Healthcare and Social Assistance 63.5 Other Services 64.1 Information 64.2 Retail Trade 72.7

Accommodation and Food Services in Other Alaska Metros

Fairbanks-College 80.4 #288/298

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Anchorage's 73.2 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 72.8 #274/298 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 73.7 #276/298 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 72.7 #273/298 Elizabethtown, KY 72.6 #272/298 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 73.9 #277/298 Bellingham, WA 74.1 #278/298 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 72.3 #271/298 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 74.4 #279/298 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 71.9 #270/298 Port St. Lucie, FL 71.9 #269/298

Browse Accommodation and Food Services in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for accommodation and food services across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Anchorage's accommodation and food services sector, the wage competitiveness component (90.9) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Anchorage, AK MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment