Groceries and convenience · Small-town market · Arkansas
Grocery stores in the Forrest City, AR area
The grocery stores in the Forrest City, AR area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 2 out of 100: Very low
Ranked #506 of 506 scored small-town markets
#14 of 14 scored small-town markets based in Arkansas
- Listings
- 10
- 4 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $39.2M
- On groceries · $5,034 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.9M
- 58% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.8
- 88% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 21,800
- −5.3% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Forrest City area
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 the Forrest City area. 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
The Forrest City area scores 2 (very low) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #506 of 506 scored small-town markets and #14 of 14 scored small-town markets based in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Household spending on groceries in the Forrest City area comes to about $39.2M a year: $5,034 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.9M of household spending for each store on map listings, 58% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
The Forrest City area has 10 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 40% of them, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.8, 88% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for supermarkets and grocery stores in the Forrest City area, since they leave out counts under 3. Population estimates show the Forrest City area declined 5.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Forrest City area 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 | Forrest City area | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.8 | 6.9 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.9M | $8.3M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 2,627 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −3.8% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −5.3% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,034 | $5,667 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $42,574 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 2 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 104 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4The 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 the Forrest City area, 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 the Forrest City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 21,800−5.3% since 2020
- Households
- 7,783
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 635 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 35
- Median household income
- $42,574+20.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $58,099
- Median home value
- $90,900
- Jobs located here
- 6,530
- Daytime population
- 21,343Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Forrest City area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Forrest City area. 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 small-town markets in Arkansas for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Arkansas, with the Forrest City area marked.
Top small-town markets in Arkansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Paragould, AR | 73 | 9 | 5.0 | $11M | +3.4% | #54 of 506 |
| 2Mountain Home, AR | 57 | 11 | 5.7 | $9.4M | +3.1% | #190 of 506 |
| 3Russellville, AR | 57 | 20 | 6.1 | $9M | +1.6% | #191 of 506 |
| 4Batesville, AR | 55 | 6 | 4.1 | $13.4M | +2.2% | #216 of 506 |
| 5Searcy, AR | 52 | 22 | 7.4 | $7.4M | +4.2% | #251 of 506 |
| 6Malvern, AR | 45 | 10 | 8.1 | $6.7M | +1.1% | #317 of 506 |
| 7El Dorado, AR | 39 | 13 | 8.7 | $6.3M | −5.2% | #362 of 506 |
| 8Harrison, AR | 38 | 15 | 8.1 | $6.7M | +2.4% | #369 of 506 |
| 9Arkadelphia, AR | 37 | 5 | 6.2 | $8.7M | −2.2% | #373 of 506 |
| 10Blytheville, AR | 30 | 9 | 5.8 | $9.3M | −6.7% | #422 of 506 |
| 14Forrest City, AR | 2 | 10 | 12.8 | $3.9M | −5.3% | #506 of 506 |
Other business types in the Forrest City area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores16
- Grocery stores2
- Convenience stores16
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 the Forrest City, AR area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 10 grocery stores in the Forrest City area. 4 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. No official count is published for supermarkets and grocery stores in the Forrest City area: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in the Forrest City, AR area spend on groceries?
About $39.2M a year, or $5,034 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $3.9M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,783 households in the Forrest City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Forrest City, AR area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Forrest City area has 12.8 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 88% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $3.9M, 58% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Forrest City area would have about 4, against 10 on map listings.
How fast is the Forrest City, AR area growing?
Population estimates put the Forrest City area at 21,800 people in 2025, down 5.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,783 households. The median household income in the Forrest City area is $42,574 a year, 47% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.4% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Forrest City area scores 2 for grocery stores (very low), #506 of 506 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Forrest City area. 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 the Forrest City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Forrest City area?
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 the Forrest City area. 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.