NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Fairbanks-College, AK

Metro Market Score 80.4 (Difficult), ranked #288 of 298 metros. 224 establishments, 3,866 jobs.

Metro Market Score 80.4

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

Fairbanks-College stands out for high accommodation and food services labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 86.9 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 77.8 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

70.1

LQ: 1.15

Rank #209 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

86.9

$31,662 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 14.8

Employment growth index

Rank #255 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

77.8

YoY wage change index

224 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Fairbanks-College

224

Establishments

-3.0% YoY

3,866

Total Employment

-2.5% YoY

$31,662

Average Annual Wage

+5.4% YoY

1.15

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Alaska

#2 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

0.0

matches median (80.4)

Fairbanks-College 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	Fairbanks-College	AK Statewide
Overall Score	80.4 Difficult	31.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#288 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 Fairbanks-College

Finance and Insurance 28.8 Information 35.5 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 40.6 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 43.0 Administrative and Support Services 51.9 Other Services 57.2 Construction 58.2 Healthcare and Social Assistance 64.6 Retail Trade 74.3

Accommodation and Food Services in Other Alaska Metros

Anchorage 73.2 #275/298

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Fairbanks-College's 80.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Glens Falls, NY 80.0 #287/298 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL 81.4 #289/298 Pittsfield, MA 81.5 #290/298 Colorado Springs, CO 78.6 #286/298 Barnstable Town, MA 82.3 #291/298 Modesto, CA 78.3 #285/298 Napa, CA 82.7 #292/298 Bozeman, MT 77.8 #284/298 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 83.7 #293/298 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 76.8 #283/298

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 Fairbanks-College's accommodation and food services sector, the employment growth component (85.2) 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 Fairbanks-College, AK MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment