Market rankings · Arkansas

Grocery and convenience stores in Arkansas

Every metro area, small-town market and county in Arkansas, ranked by the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 2,362; 875 chain locations (37%)
Official establishments: 628; +6.8% since 2019
Household spending a year: $6.8B; On groceries
Listings per 10k households: 19.6; 5% above the U.S.
Spending per listing: $2.9M; 15% below the U.S.
Rank among states: #35 of 51; Market score 42 · Lower middle

A site report maps the grocery and convenience stores on map listings around any address in Arkansas by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

There are 2,362 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Arkansas as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 42% across the U.S. That is 19.6 per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.

Household spending on groceries in Arkansas comes to about $6.8B a year: $5,667 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. Spread across 2,362 grocery and convenience stores, that is $2.9M per store, 15% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

Official counts show 628 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Arkansas in 2023, up 6.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,920 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 7.2% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $915K have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Arkansas.

Among the 50 states and DC, Arkansas ranks #35 for grocery and convenience stores, with a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle). Of the 7 scored metro areas in or partly in Arkansas, the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area scores highest (84). Of the 14 scored small-town markets in or partly in Arkansas, the Paragould area scores highest (76).

Every market in Arkansas for grocery and convenience stores

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Arkansas, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Arkansas, ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR	84	309	14.3	$4.4M	+13.1%	#12 of 387
2Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR	64	505	16.2	$3.6M	+3.8%	#102 of 387
3Jonesboro, AR	42	101	19.0	$2.9M	+3.6%	#252 of 387
Memphis, TN-MS-AR	36	975	18.6	$3.1M	−0.3%	#292 of 387
4Fort Smith, AR-OK	36	192	21.1	$2.6M	+3.1%	#294 of 387
5Hot Springs, AR	34	76	17.4	$3.2M	−0.6%	#301 of 387
Texarkana, TX-AR	18	160	28.4	$1.9M	−0.4%	#370 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Arkansas, ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Paragould, AR	76	29	16.1	$3.4M	+3.4%	#34 of 538
2Russellville, AR	69	50	15.3	$3.6M	+1.6%	#87 of 538
3Harrison, AR	63	33	17.8	$3.1M	+2.4%	#147 of 538
4Batesville, AR	58	23	15.7	$3.5M	+2.2%	#195 of 538
5Mountain Home, AR	58	40	20.7	$2.6M	+3.1%	#202 of 538
6Searcy, AR	55	63	21.3	$2.6M	+4.2%	#240 of 538
7Arkadelphia, AR	47	16	19.7	$2.7M	−2.2%	#312 of 538
8Malvern, AR	47	30	24.4	$2.2M	+1.1%	#315 of 538
9Blytheville, AR	32	33	21.4	$2.5M	−6.7%	#438 of 538
10El Dorado, AR	23	47	31.3	$1.7M	−5.2%	#483 of 538
11Camden, AR	22	25	24.2	$2.2M	−3.6%	#485 of 538
12Pine Bluff, AR	20	69	25.6	$2.1M	−5.6%	#492 of 538
13Magnolia, AR	16	25	29.7	$1.8M	−3.7%	#512 of 538
14Forrest City, AR	16	23	29.6	$1.7M	−5.3%	#513 of 538

Counties

Counties in Arkansas, ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Benton County, AR	89	157	14.0	$4.7M	+16.0%	#57 of 2,402
2Saline County, AR	85	77	15.3	$4M	+7.6%	#102 of 2,402
3Faulkner County, AR	83	73	14.8	$3.9M	+8.2%	#136 of 2,402
4Washington County, AR	82	143	14.7	$4M	+9.9%	#148 of 2,402
5Grant County, AR	74	11	15.8	$3.7M	+4.1%	#326 of 2,402
6Lonoke County, AR	73	50	17.5	$3.4M	+3.5%	#368 of 2,402
7Pope County, AR	68	36	14.8	$3.8M	+2.5%	#496 of 2,402
8Greene County, AR	67	29	16.1	$3.4M	+3.4%	#533 of 2,402
9Pulaski County, AR	64	284	16.5	$3.5M	+1.3%	#632 of 2,402
10Craighead County, AR	64	76	17.1	$3.3M	+4.8%	#637 of 2,402
11Boone County, AR	62	25	16.3	$3.4M	+3.3%	#712 of 2,402
12Fulton County, AR	61	5	10.5	$4.8M	+3.7%	#743 of 2,402
13Crawford County, AR	59	50	21.4	$2.6M	+4.1%	#845 of 2,402
14Madison County, AR	57	9	13.9	$4M	+11.2%	#891 of 2,402
15Randolph County, AR	57	10	13.6	$3.9M	+1.5%	#892 of 2,402
16Marion County, AR	56	15	19.6	$2.7M	+4.3%	#948 of 2,402
17Sebastian County, AR	54	106	20.3	$2.8M	+2.2%	#1,034 of 2,402
18Baxter County, AR	52	40	20.7	$2.6M	+3.1%	#1,132 of 2,402
19Independence County, AR	51	23	15.7	$3.5M	+2.2%	#1,154 of 2,402
20White County, AR	51	63	21.3	$2.6M	+4.2%	#1,172 of 2,402
21Logan County, AR	51	20	23.5	$2.4M	+2.5%	#1,179 of 2,402
22Garland County, AR	49	76	17.4	$3.2M	−0.6%	#1,236 of 2,402
23Franklin County, AR	47	13	18.4	$2.9M	+3.5%	#1,317 of 2,402
24Izard County, AR	47	11	21.0	$2.5M	+5.9%	#1,330 of 2,402
25Van Buren County, AR	45	16	21.5	$2.4M	+2.8%	#1,399 of 2,402

Show all 75 counties

Counties in Arkansas, ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Cleburne County, AR	45	29	27.6	$2M	+3.9%	#1,414 of 2,402
27Conway County, AR	45	24	29.0	$1.8M	+3.2%	#1,417 of 2,402
28Johnson County, AR	43	18	17.4	$3M	+2.0%	#1,470 of 2,402
29Clark County, AR	43	16	19.7	$2.7M	−2.2%	#1,473 of 2,402
30Hot Spring County, AR	43	30	24.4	$2.2M	+1.1%	#1,489 of 2,402
31Miller County, AR	42	32	19.6	$2.7M	−0.5%	#1,514 of 2,402
32Yell County, AR	41	14	16.8	$3.2M	−1.3%	#1,540 of 2,402
33Lawrence County, AR	41	13	19.7	$2.7M	+0.3%	#1,542 of 2,402
34Perry County, AR	40	10	24.4	$2.3M	+3.1%	#1,599 of 2,402
35Polk County, AR	39	16	20.3	$2.6M	+1.6%	#1,631 of 2,402
36Sevier County, AR	36	14	24.9	$2.1M	−0.1%	#1,750 of 2,402
37Sharp County, AR	34	16	23.3	$2.2M	+4.7%	#1,818 of 2,402
38Carroll County, AR	31	35	30.8	$1.8M	+3.6%	#1,931 of 2,402
39Mississippi County, AR	30	33	21.4	$2.5M	−6.7%	#1,942 of 2,402
40Jackson County, AR	28	21	34.6	$1.5M	0.0%	#2,026 of 2,402
41Crittenden County, AR	26	42	23.1	$2.3M	−3.9%	#2,061 of 2,402
42Clay County, AR	24	16	26.6	$2M	−3.3%	#2,125 of 2,402
43Union County, AR	24	47	31.3	$1.7M	−5.2%	#2,134 of 2,402
44Ashley County, AR	24	26	35.3	$1.4M	−5.9%	#2,140 of 2,402
45Little River County, AR	22	13	27.0	$2M	−1.8%	#2,173 of 2,402
46Stone County, AR	22	16	30.4	$1.6M	+2.9%	#2,178 of 2,402
47Ouachita County, AR	21	20	23.2	$2.3M	−3.9%	#2,191 of 2,402
48Poinsett County, AR	21	25	28.4	$1.8M	−2.0%	#2,200 of 2,402
49Jefferson County, AR	20	61	25.4	$2.1M	−5.7%	#2,210 of 2,402
50Lincoln County, AR	19	11	30.6	$1.8M	−1.0%	#2,232 of 2,402
51Howard County, AR	19	20	39.2	$1.3M	−3.6%	#2,239 of 2,402
52Drew County, AR	18	18	25.0	$2.1M	−1.5%	#2,241 of 2,402
53Columbia County, AR	18	25	29.7	$1.8M	−3.7%	#2,245 of 2,402
54St. Francis County, AR	18	23	29.6	$1.7M	−5.3%	#2,250 of 2,402
55Cross County, AR	18	21	32.4	$1.7M	−3.6%	#2,251 of 2,402
56Hempstead County, AR	17	25	33.4	$1.6M	−4.6%	#2,270 of 2,402
57Bradley County, AR	15	9	24.0	$2.1M	−6.4%	#2,295 of 2,402
58Desha County, AR	13	11	23.9	$2.1M	−11.8%	#2,318 of 2,402
59Arkansas County, AR	13	21	31.3	$1.7M	−7.4%	#2,322 of 2,402
60Pike County, AR	11	19	46.5	$1.1M	−1.9%	#2,355 of 2,402
61Phillips County, AR	9	22	36.5	$1.4M	−13.0%	#2,370 of 2,402
Scott County, AR	Not scored	8	20.1	$2.5M	+1.4%
Chicot County, AR	Not scored	10	25.2	$2M	−10.3%
Montgomery County, AR	Not scored	9	24.2	$2.2M	+1.1%
Lee County, AR	Not scored	8	29.7	$1.7M	−6.4%
Nevada County, AR	Not scored	12	36.9	$1.4M	−4.1%
Prairie County, AR	Not scored	9	27.6	$1.9M	−3.9%
Searcy County, AR	Not scored	7	21.9	$2.3M	0.0%
Cleveland County, AR	Not scored	8	27.3	$2M	−4.3%
Newton County, AR	Not scored	8	25.2	$2.1M	−2.3%
Monroe County, AR	Not scored	14	50.2	$1M	−7.8%
Dallas County, AR	Not scored	11	43.0	$1.2M	−6.7%
Lafayette County, AR	Not scored	13	49.6	$1M	−6.4%
Woodruff County, AR	Not scored	10	37.1	$1.4M	−8.2%
Calhoun County, AR	Not scored	5	29.6	$1.9M	−2.2%

Markets with fewer than 5 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many grocery and convenience stores are in Arkansas?

As of September 2026, map listings count 2,362 grocery and convenience stores in Arkansas. 875 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 628 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 6.8% from 2019. Official counts list 613 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Arkansas spend on groceries?

About $6.8B a year, or $5,667 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,362 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.9M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,205,987 households in Arkansas and national spending patterns by income.

How does Arkansas compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?

Arkansas has 19.6 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.9M, 15% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Arkansas would have about 2,017, against 2,362 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,920 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.

Which market in Arkansas has the highest market score for grocery and convenience stores?

Among 7 scored metro areas in or partly in Arkansas, the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area scores highest, at 84 (high). Among 14 scored small-town markets in or partly in Arkansas, the Paragould area scores highest, at 76 (high). Among 61 scored counties in Arkansas, Benton County scores highest, at 89 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Arkansas scores 42 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #35 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Arkansas. It maps the grocery and convenience stores 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.

Grocery stores828 listings
Convenience stores1,063 listings

Screening a site or an acquisition in Arkansas?

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

Run a site report See plans