Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Fast food and sandwich shops in Columbia County, AR
How Columbia County, AR compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 7 out of 100: Very low
Ranked #2,208 of 2,222 scored counties
#56 of 56 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 19
- 14 chain locations (74%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $26.4M
- On food away from home · $3,145 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 54% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 22.6
- 70% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 21,894
- −3.7% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Columbia 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 Columbia 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
Columbia County scores 7 (very low) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #2,208 of 2,222 scored counties and #56 of 56 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Columbia County comes to about $26.4M a year: $3,145 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.4M per shop, 54% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
There are 19 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Columbia County as of September 2026. Of those, 14 are chain locations, or 74%, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 22.6 for every 10,000 households, 70% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Columbia County was 23 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 366 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Columbia County declined 3.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Columbia 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 | Columbia County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 22.6 | 14.2 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $2.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 366 | 506 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +11.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.7% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,145 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $55,334 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 7 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 23 → 23All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 501
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1914 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 9The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Columbia 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 Columbia County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 21,894−3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 8,409
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 766 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 29
- Median household income
- $55,334+52.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $69,996
- Median home value
- $152,100
- Jobs located here
- 7,940
- Daytime population
- 21,908Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Columbia 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 Columbia 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 Columbia 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 |
| 56Columbia County, AR | 7 | 19 | 22.6 | $1.4M | −3.7% | #2,208 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Columbia County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes19
- Sit-down restaurants32
- Fast food and sandwich shops7
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes34
- Bakeries and dessert shops15
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 Columbia County, AR?
As of September 2026, map listings count 19 fast food and sandwich shops in Columbia County. 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, unchanged from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too.
How much do households in Columbia County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $26.4M a year, or $3,145 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 19 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per shop. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,409 households in Columbia County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Columbia County, AR compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Columbia County has 22.6 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 70% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $1.4M, 54% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Columbia County would have about 9, against 19 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 366 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Columbia County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Columbia County at 21,894 people in 2025, down 3.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,409 households. Median household income in Columbia County is $55,334, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 52.9%, 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. Columbia County scores 7 for fast food and sandwich shops (very low), #2,208 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Columbia 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 Columbia County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Columbia 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 Columbia 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.