Groceries and convenience · County · Arkansas
Grocery and convenience stores in Craighead County, AR
The grocery and convenience stores in Craighead County, AR, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #637 of 2,402 scored counties
#10 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 76
- 39 chain locations (51%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- −7.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $251.6M
- On groceries · $5,661 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.3M
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.1
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 116,957
- +4.8% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Craighead County
The site report maps the grocery and convenience stores 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
Households in Craighead County spend about $251.6M a year on groceries, or $5,661 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.3M of household spending for each store on map listings, 2% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 76 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Craighead County as of September 2026. 39 of them (51%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 17.1, 9% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Craighead County in 2023, down 7.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,852 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 28 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Craighead County grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Craighead County scores 64 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #637 of 2,402 scored counties and #10 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas.
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 groceries by the grocery and convenience stores 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 | 17.1 | 19.6 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3.3M | $2.9M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,852 | 1,920 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −7.7% | +6.8% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,661 | $5,667 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $59,548 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 26 → 24−7.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 975
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $25.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 28Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7639 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 74The 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 grocery and convenience stores 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.
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 grocery and convenience stores 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 cardGrocery and convenience stores across Arkansas
Every Arkansas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Arkansas for grocery and convenience stores, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Other business types in Craighead County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores64
- Grocery stores54
- Convenience stores67
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many grocery and convenience stores are in Craighead County, AR?
As of September 2026, map listings count 76 grocery and convenience stores in Craighead County. 39 of them (51%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, down 7.7% from 2019. Official counts list 28 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Craighead County, AR spend on groceries?
About $251.6M a year, or $5,661 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 76 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.3M per store. 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 grocery and convenience stores?
Craighead County has 17.1 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.3M, 2% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Craighead County would have about 74, against 76 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,852 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% 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 64 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #637 of 2,402 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 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.
How the score works · Top markets for grocery and convenience stores · 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.