Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Arkansas

Grocery stores in Clay County, AR

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Clay County, AR, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 11 out of 100: Low

Ranked #2,004 of 2,070 scored counties
#44 of 50 scored counties in Arkansas

Listings
7
2 chain locations (29%)
Official establishments
4
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$31.8M
On groceries · $5,290 a household
Spending per listing
$4.5M
51% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.6
71% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
14,052
−3.3% since 2020

See the grocery stores around any address in Clay County

The site report maps the grocery 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 Clay County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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

For grocery stores, Clay County has a Groundwork market score of 11 (low): #2,004 of 2,070 scored counties and #44 of 50 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 7 grocery stores in Clay County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 29%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.6, 71% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.

Household spending on groceries in Clay County comes to about $31.8M a year: $5,290 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. That works out to $4.5M per store, 51% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Clay County in 2023. That is one for every 1,505 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Clay County declined 3.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Clay 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 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.

Grocery stores in Clay County, AR compared with Arkansas and the U.S.
MeasureClay CountyArkansasU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.66.96.8
Spending per listing$4.5M$8.3M$9.3M
Households per official establishment1,5052,6272,053
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−3.8%0.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.3%+3.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,290$5,667$6,319
Median household income$51,481$60,773$80,734
Groundwork market score1143

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
4 → 4
Employees, 2023
147
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
72 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
3The 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 supermarkets and grocery stores in Clay 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 Clay County

Population, 2025 estimate
14,052−3.3% since 2020
Households
6,021
Median age
42.8
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
639 sq. mi.
People per square mile
22
Median household income
$51,481+38.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$64,802
Median home value
$94,600
Jobs located here
3,028
Daytime population
11,822Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 stores on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Clay County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Grocery stores across Arkansas

Every Arkansas market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Arkansas for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Arkansas, with Clay County marked.

Top counties in Arkansas

Counties in Arkansas ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Saline County, AR88193.8$16M+7.6%#68 of 2,070
2Lonoke County, AR81124.2$14.1M+3.5%#164 of 2,070
3Faulkner County, AR80255.1$11.5M+8.2%#201 of 2,070
4Benton County, AR69797.1$9.3M+16.0%#445 of 2,070
5Greene County, AR6795.0$11M+3.4%#481 of 2,070
6Washington County, AR66626.4$9.3M+9.9%#524 of 2,070
7Pulaski County, AR64935.4$10.7M+1.3%#569 of 2,070
8Crawford County, AR64156.4$8.8M+4.1%#578 of 2,070
9Garland County, AR60194.4$12.7M−0.6%#667 of 2,070
10Pope County, AR60156.2$9.1M+2.5%#684 of 2,070
44Clay County, AR11711.6$4.5M−3.3%#2,004 of 2,070

Other business types in Clay County

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

Questions

How many grocery stores are in Clay County, AR?

There are 7 grocery stores on map listings in Clay County as of September 2026. 2 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.

How much do households in Clay County, AR spend on groceries?

About $31.8M a year, or $5,290 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $4.5M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,021 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Clay County, AR compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?

Clay County has 11.6 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 71% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $4.5M, 51% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Clay County would have about 3, against 7 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,505 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.

How fast is Clay County, AR growing?

Population estimates put Clay County at 14,052 people in 2025, down 3.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,021 households. Median household income in Clay County is $51,481, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 38.3%, 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. Clay County scores 11 for grocery stores (low), #2,004 of 2,070 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay County. It maps the grocery 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 stores · All 56 business types in Clay County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.