Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Fast food and sandwich shops in Carroll County, AR
The fast food and sandwich shops in Carroll County, AR, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,822 of 2,222 scored counties
#33 of 56 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 19
- 14 chain locations (74%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $36.2M
- On food away from home · $3,187 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 38% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.7
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 29,263
- +3.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Carroll County
The site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Carroll County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Carroll County scores 31 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,822 of 2,222 scored counties and #33 of 56 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 19 fast food and sandwich shops in Carroll County. Chain locations make up 74% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That is 16.7 per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,187 per household (22% below the U.S. average), households in Carroll County spend about $36.2M a year on food away from home. Spread across 19 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $1.9M per shop, 38% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 23 businesses with payroll in Carroll County classed as limited-service restaurants. That is one for every 493 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $769K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Carroll County. Population estimates put the population change in Carroll County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Carroll County compares
The same measures for Arkansas and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the fast food and sandwich shops counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Carroll County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.7 | 14.2 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $2.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 493 | 506 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +11.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.6% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,187 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $54,230 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12 → 23All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 359
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1914 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 12The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $769K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Carroll County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3. These official figures cover all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Population and households in Carroll County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 29,263+3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 11,347
- Median age
- 44.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 630 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 45
- Median household income
- $54,230+17.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,165
- Median home value
- $210,400
- Jobs located here
- 11,469
- Daytime population
- 28,358Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carroll County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Carroll County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardFast food and sandwich shops across Arkansas
Every Arkansas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Arkansas for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Arkansas, with Carroll County marked.
Top counties in Arkansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Marion County, AR | 72 | 5 | 6.5 | $4.5M | +4.3% | #302 of 2,222 |
| 2Saline County, AR | 71 | 52 | 10.4 | $3.7M | +7.6% | #334 of 2,222 |
| 3Benton County, AR | 66 | 166 | 14.8 | $2.9M | +16.0% | #533 of 2,222 |
| 4Polk County, AR | 65 | 5 | 6.3 | $4.8M | +1.6% | #536 of 2,222 |
| 5Lonoke County, AR | 64 | 32 | 11.2 | $3.2M | +3.5% | #582 of 2,222 |
| 6Izard County, AR | 62 | 5 | 9.6 | $3M | +5.9% | #661 of 2,222 |
| 7Grant County, AR | 62 | 9 | 12.9 | $2.8M | +4.1% | #666 of 2,222 |
| 8Hot Spring County, AR | 61 | 10 | 8.1 | $3.9M | +1.1% | #682 of 2,222 |
| 9Van Buren County, AR | 58 | 7 | 9.4 | $3.1M | +2.8% | #821 of 2,222 |
| 10Conway County, AR | 56 | 9 | 10.9 | $2.8M | +3.2% | #918 of 2,222 |
| 33Carroll County, AR | 31 | 19 | 16.7 | $1.9M | +3.6% | #1,822 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Carroll County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes19
- Sit-down restaurants19
- Fast food and sandwich shops31
- Pizza30
- Coffee shops and cafes29
- Bakeries and dessert shops30
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Carroll County, AR?
Carroll County has 19 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 14 of them (74%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 9 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Carroll County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $36.2M a year, or $3,187 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 19 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.9M per shop. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,347 households in Carroll County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carroll County, AR compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Carroll County has 16.7 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.9M, 38% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Carroll County would have about 12, against 19 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 493 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.
How fast is Carroll County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Carroll County at 29,263 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 11,347 households. The median household income in Carroll County is $54,230 a year, 33% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 17.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Carroll County scores 31 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,822 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carroll County. It maps the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for fast food and sandwich shops · All 56 business types in Carroll County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carroll County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Carroll County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.