Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Fast food and sandwich shops in Craighead County, AR
The fast food and sandwich shops in Craighead County, AR, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,851 of 2,222 scored counties
#35 of 56 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 80
- 75 chain locations (94%)
- Official establishments
- 106
- All limited-service restaurants · +15.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $151.5M
- On food away from home · $3,410 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 38% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.0
- 35% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 116,957
- +4.8% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Craighead 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 Craighead 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
The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Craighead County is 30 (lower middle), #1,851 of 2,222 scored counties and #35 of 56 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 80 fast food and sandwich shops in Craighead County. Of those, 75 are chain locations, or 94%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 18.0, 35% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
At $3,410 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Craighead County spend about $151.5M a year on food away from home. Spread across 80 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.
Official counts show 106 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Craighead County in 2023, up 15.2% from 2019. That is one for every 419 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $496K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Craighead County. Population estimates put the population change in Craighead County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Craighead 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 | Craighead County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.0 | 14.2 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $2.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 419 | 506 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +15.2% | +11.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,410 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $59,548 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 92 → 106All limited-service restaurants · +15.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,266
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $41.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 24All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8075 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 50The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $496K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Craighead 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 Craighead County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 116,957+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 44,437
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 707 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 160
- Median household income
- $59,548+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,050
- Median home value
- $210,400
- Jobs located here
- 53,731
- Daytime population
- 120,635Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Craighead 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 Craighead 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 Craighead 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 |
| 35Craighead County, AR | 30 | 80 | 18.0 | $1.9M | +4.8% | #1,851 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Craighead County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes33
- Sit-down restaurants35
- Fast food and sandwich shops30
- Pizza37
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- Bakeries and dessert shops41
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 Craighead County, AR?
There are 80 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Craighead County as of September 2026. 75 of them (94%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 106 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 15.2% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 24 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Craighead County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $151.5M a year, or $3,410 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 80 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 44,437 households in Craighead County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Craighead County, AR compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Craighead County has 18.0 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 35% 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, Craighead County would have about 50, against 80 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 419 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Craighead County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Craighead County at 116,957 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 44,437 households. The median household income in Craighead County is $59,548 a year, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.9% 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. Craighead County scores 30 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,851 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Craighead 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 Craighead County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Craighead 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 Craighead 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.