Groceries and convenience · County · Arkansas
Grocery stores in Columbia County, AR
The grocery stores in Columbia County, AR, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 12 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,991 of 2,070 scored counties
#42 of 50 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 11
- 6 chain locations (55%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $45.4M
- On groceries · $5,402 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.1M
- 56% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.1
- 93% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 21,894
- −3.7% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Columbia 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 Columbia 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
Columbia County scores 12 (low) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #1,991 of 2,070 scored counties and #42 of 50 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 11 grocery stores in Columbia County. Of those, 6 are chain locations, or 55%, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 13.1 for every 10,000 households, 93% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
At $5,402 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in Columbia County spend about $45.4M a year on groceries. Spread across 11 grocery stores, that is $4.1M per store, 56% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Columbia County was 5 in 2023. That is one for every 1,682 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Population estimates show Columbia County declined 3.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Columbia 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.
| Measure | Columbia County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.1 | 6.9 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.1M | $8.3M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,682 | 2,627 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −3.8% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.7% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,402 | $5,667 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $55,334 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 12 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 5
- Employees, 2023
- 113
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 116 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The 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 Columbia 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 Columbia County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 21,894−3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 8,409
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 766 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 29
- Median household income
- $55,334+52.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $69,996
- Median home value
- $152,100
- Jobs located here
- 7,940
- Daytime population
- 21,908Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Columbia 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 Columbia County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGrocery stores across Arkansas
Every Arkansas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Arkansas for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Arkansas, with Columbia County marked.
Top counties in Arkansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Saline County, AR | 88 | 19 | 3.8 | $16M | +7.6% | #68 of 2,070 |
| 2Lonoke County, AR | 81 | 12 | 4.2 | $14.1M | +3.5% | #164 of 2,070 |
| 3Faulkner County, AR | 80 | 25 | 5.1 | $11.5M | +8.2% | #201 of 2,070 |
| 4Benton County, AR | 69 | 79 | 7.1 | $9.3M | +16.0% | #445 of 2,070 |
| 5Greene County, AR | 67 | 9 | 5.0 | $11M | +3.4% | #481 of 2,070 |
| 6Washington County, AR | 66 | 62 | 6.4 | $9.3M | +9.9% | #524 of 2,070 |
| 7Pulaski County, AR | 64 | 93 | 5.4 | $10.7M | +1.3% | #569 of 2,070 |
| 8Crawford County, AR | 64 | 15 | 6.4 | $8.8M | +4.1% | #578 of 2,070 |
| 9Garland County, AR | 60 | 19 | 4.4 | $12.7M | −0.6% | #667 of 2,070 |
| 10Pope County, AR | 60 | 15 | 6.2 | $9.1M | +2.5% | #684 of 2,070 |
| 42Columbia County, AR | 12 | 11 | 13.1 | $4.1M | −3.7% | #1,991 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Columbia County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores18
- Grocery stores12
- Convenience stores19
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 stores are in Columbia County, AR?
Columbia County has 11 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (55%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Columbia County, AR spend on groceries?
About $45.4M a year, or $5,402 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $4.1M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,409 households in Columbia County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Columbia County, AR compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Columbia County has 13.1 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 93% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $4.1M, 56% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Columbia County would have about 5, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,682 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Columbia County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Columbia County at 21,894 people in 2025, down 3.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,409 households. Median household income in Columbia County is $55,334, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 52.9%, 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. Columbia County scores 12 for grocery stores (low), #1,991 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Columbia 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 Columbia County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Columbia 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 Columbia 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.