Food and drink · Metro area · Arkansas
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Hot Springs, AR metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in the Hot Springs, AR metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 23 out of 100: Low
Ranked #347 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Arkansas
- Listings
- 56
- 52 chain locations (93%)
- Official establishments
- 94
- All limited-service restaurants · +5.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $140.9M
- On food away from home · $3,226 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.8
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 99,695
- −0.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Hot Springs metro area
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 the Hot Springs metro area. 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
For fast food and sandwich shops, the Hot Springs metro area has a Groundwork market score of 23 (low): #347 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
At $3,226 per household (21% below the U.S. average), households in the Hot Springs metro area spend about $140.9M a year on food away from home. Spread across 56 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.5M per shop, 18% 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 56 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Hot Springs metro area as of September 2026. 52 of them (93%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 12.8 for every 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Hot Springs metro area was 94 in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 465 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. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $463K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Hot Springs metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Hot Springs metro area declined 0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Hot Springs metro area 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 | Hot Springs metro area | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.8 | 14.2 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $2.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 465 | 506 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.6% | +11.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,226 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $57,181 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 23 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 94All limited-service restaurants · +5.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,820
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $33.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 17All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5652 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 46The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $463K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Hot Springs metro area, 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 the Hot Springs metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 99,695−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 43,667
- Median age
- 46.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 678 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 148
- Median household income
- $57,181+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,414
- Median home value
- $194,300
- Jobs located here
- 38,998
- Daytime population
- 100,390Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Hot Springs metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Hot Springs metro area. 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 metro areas in Arkansas for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Arkansas (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Hot Springs metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Arkansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | 60 | 309 | 14.3 | $2.8M | +13.1% | #135 of 387 |
| 2Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | 39 | 446 | 14.3 | $2.5M | +3.8% | #264 of 387 |
| 3Fort Smith, AR-OK | 30 | 128 | 14.1 | $2.3M | +3.1% | #312 of 387 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 28 | 808 | 15.5 | $2.3M | −0.3% | #324 of 387 |
| 4Hot Springs, AR | 23 | 56 | 12.8 | $2.5M | −0.6% | #347 of 387 |
| 5Jonesboro, AR | 20 | 93 | 17.5 | $1.9M | +3.6% | #359 of 387 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | 6 | 115 | 20.4 | $1.6M | −0.4% | #387 of 387 |
Other business types in the Hot Springs metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes9
- Sit-down restaurants8
- Fast food and sandwich shops23
- Pizza28
- Coffee shops and cafes22
- Bakeries and dessert shops17
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 the Hot Springs, AR metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 56 fast food and sandwich shops in the Hot Springs metro area. 52 of them (93%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 94 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Official counts list 17 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Hot Springs, AR metro area spend on food away from home?
About $140.9M a year, or $3,226 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 56 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.5M 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 43,667 households in the Hot Springs metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Hot Springs, AR metro area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Hot Springs metro area has 12.8 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.5M, 18% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Hot Springs metro area would have about 46, against 56 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 465 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Hot Springs, AR metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Hot Springs metro area at 99,695 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 43,667 households. Median household income in the Hot Springs metro area is $57,181, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.7%, 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. The Hot Springs metro area scores 23 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #347 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Hot Springs metro area. 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 the Hot Springs metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Hot Springs metro area?
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 the Hot Springs metro area. 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.