Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Arkansas

Fast food and sandwich shops in Independence County, AR

The fast food and sandwich shops in Independence County, AR, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,485 of 2,222 scored counties
#21 of 56 scored counties in Arkansas

Listings
17
15 chain locations (88%)
Official establishments
31
All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$47.2M
On food away from home · $3,222 a household
Spending per listing
$2.8M
9% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.6
13% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
38,785
+2.2% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Independence 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 Independence County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $3,222 per household (21% below the U.S. average), households in Independence County spend about $47.2M a year on food away from home. That is about $2.8M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 9% 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 17 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Independence County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 88% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 11.6 for every 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Independence County was 31 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 472 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.

Population estimates put the population change in Independence County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Independence County scores 40 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #1,485 of 2,222 scored counties and #21 of 56 scored counties in Arkansas.

How Independence 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.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Independence County, AR compared with Arkansas and the U.S.
MeasureIndependence CountyArkansasU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.614.213.3
Spending per listing$2.8M$2.4M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)472506478
Official establishment growth, 2019–20230.0%+11.1%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.2%+3.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,222$3,400$4,070
Median household income$56,609$60,773$80,734
Groundwork market score4031

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
31 → 31All limited-service restaurants · 0.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
663
Annual payroll, 2023
$11.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
0All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1715 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
16The 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 Independence 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 Independence County

Population, 2025 estimate
38,785+2.2% since 2020
Households
14,638
Median age
39.7
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
764 sq. mi.
People per square mile
50
Median household income
$56,609+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$78,952
Median home value
$142,600
Jobs located here
18,686
Daytime population
41,118Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Independence 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 Independence County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Fast 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 Independence County marked.

Top counties in Arkansas

Counties in Arkansas ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Marion County, AR7256.5$4.5M+4.3%#302 of 2,222
2Saline County, AR715210.4$3.7M+7.6%#334 of 2,222
3Benton County, AR6616614.8$2.9M+16.0%#533 of 2,222
4Polk County, AR6556.3$4.8M+1.6%#536 of 2,222
5Lonoke County, AR643211.2$3.2M+3.5%#582 of 2,222
6Izard County, AR6259.6$3M+5.9%#661 of 2,222
7Grant County, AR62912.9$2.8M+4.1%#666 of 2,222
8Hot Spring County, AR61108.1$3.9M+1.1%#682 of 2,222
9Van Buren County, AR5879.4$3.1M+2.8%#821 of 2,222
10Conway County, AR56910.9$2.8M+3.2%#918 of 2,222
21Independence County, AR401711.6$2.8M+2.2%#1,485 of 2,222

Other business types in Independence County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Funeral services

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Independence County, AR?

As of September 2026, map listings count 17 fast food and sandwich shops in Independence County. 15 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 31 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 Independence County, AR spend on food away from home?

About $47.2M a year, or $3,222 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 17 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 14,638 households in Independence County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Independence County, AR compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

Independence County has 11.6 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.8M, 9% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Independence County would have about 16, against 17 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 472 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 Independence County, AR growing?

Population estimates put Independence County at 38,785 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,638 households. Median household income in Independence County is $56,609, 30% 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. Independence County scores 40 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,485 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Independence 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 Independence County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Independence County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

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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.