Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Fast food and sandwich shops in Jefferson County, AR
The fast food and sandwich shops in Jefferson County, AR, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 7 out of 100: Very low
Ranked #2,204 of 2,222 scored counties
#55 of 56 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 40
- 35 chain locations (88%)
- Official establishments
- 64
- All limited-service restaurants · +18.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $72.5M
- On food away from home · $3,021 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 41% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.7
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 62,987
- −5.7% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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
Jefferson County scores 7 (very low) on the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, ranking #2,204 of 2,222 scored counties and #55 of 56 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Jefferson County spend about $72.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,021 per household, 26% below the U.S. average. Spread across 40 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $1.8M per shop, 41% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Jefferson County has 40 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 88% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Jefferson County was 64 in 2023, up 18.5% from 2019. That is one for every 375 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 $59K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Jefferson County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Jefferson County declined 5.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Jefferson 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 | Jefferson County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.7 | 14.2 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $2.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 375 | 506 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +18.5% | +11.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −5.7% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,021 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $51,096 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 7 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 54 → 64All limited-service restaurants · +18.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,290
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $19.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4035 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 24The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $59K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 62,987−5.7% since 2020
- Households
- 24,017
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 872 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 74
- Median household income
- $51,096+25.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $69,100
- Median home value
- $113,400
- Jobs located here
- 24,809
- Daytime population
- 63,761Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 |
| 55Jefferson County, AR | 7 | 40 | 16.7 | $1.8M | −5.7% | #2,204 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Jefferson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes25
- Sit-down restaurants34
- Fast food and sandwich shops7
- Pizza27
- Coffee shops and cafes54
- Bakeries and dessert shops45
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 Jefferson County, AR?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 40 fast food and sandwich shops in Jefferson County. 35 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 64 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 18.5% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Another 10 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Jefferson County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $72.5M a year, or $3,021 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 40 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $1.8M 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 24,017 households in Jefferson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Jefferson County, AR compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Jefferson 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 $1.8M, 41% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Jefferson County would have about 24, against 40 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 375 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Jefferson County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Jefferson County at 62,987 people in 2025, down 5.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 24,017 households. Median household income in Jefferson County is $51,096, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.5%, 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. Jefferson County scores 7 for fast food and sandwich shops (very low), #2,204 of 2,222 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.