Groceries and convenience · County · Arkansas
Grocery and convenience stores in Independence County, AR
How Independence County, AR compares with other counties and the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,154 of 2,402 scored counties
#19 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 23
- 6 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $80.5M
- On groceries · $5,502 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.5M
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.7
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 38,785
- +2.2% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Independence 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 Independence 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 23 grocery and convenience stores in Independence County. Of those, 6 are chain locations, or 26%, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 15.7 for every 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Household spending on groceries in Independence County comes to about $80.5M a year: $5,502 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.5M of household spending for each store on map listings, 3% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Independence County was 11 in 2023. That is one for every 1,331 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Independence County grew 2.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery and convenience stores, Independence County has a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle): #1,154 of 2,402 scored counties and #19 of 61 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 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 | Independence County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.7 | 19.6 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3.5M | $2.9M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,331 | 1,920 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.8% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,502 | $5,667 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $56,609 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 194
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 236 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
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores 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.
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 grocery and convenience stores 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.
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 Independence 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 |
| 19Independence County, AR | 51 | 23 | 15.7 | $3.5M | +2.2% | #1,154 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Independence County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores51
- Grocery stores51
- Convenience stores56
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 Independence County, AR?
There are 23 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Independence County as of September 2026. 6 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Independence County, AR spend on groceries?
About $80.5M a year, or $5,502 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.5M per store. 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 grocery and convenience stores?
Independence County has 15.7 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.5M, 3% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Independence County would have about 24, against 23 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,331 households, against one for every 1,293 across 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 51 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #1,154 of 2,402 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 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 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.
The button opens the report at the center of Independence 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.