Groceries and convenience · County · Arkansas
Grocery stores in Howard County, AR
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Howard County, AR, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 11 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,998 of 2,070 scored counties
#43 of 50 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 5
- 4 chain locations (80%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $26.4M
- On groceries · $5,171 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.3M
- 43% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.8
- 44% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 12,306
- −3.6% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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
Howard County scores 11 (low) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #1,998 of 2,070 scored counties and #43 of 50 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 5 grocery stores in Howard County. 4 of them (80%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.8, 44% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
At $5,171 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $26.4M a year on groceries. Spread across 5 grocery stores, that is $5.3M per store, 43% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Howard County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Population estimates put the population change in Howard County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Howard 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 | Howard County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.8 | 6.9 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.3M | $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 | −3.6% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,171 | $5,667 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $45,603 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 11 | 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
- 54 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 Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 12,306−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 5,098
- Median age
- 38.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 587 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 21
- Median household income
- $45,603+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $62,719
- Median home value
- $153,900
- Jobs located here
- 6,243
- Daytime population
- 13,655Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard 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 |
| 43Howard County, AR | 11 | 5 | 9.8 | $5.3M | −3.6% | #1,998 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Howard County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores19
- Grocery stores11
- Convenience stores4
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 Howard County, AR?
There are 5 grocery stores on map listings in Howard County as of September 2026. 4 of them (80%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. No official count is published for supermarkets and grocery stores in Howard County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Howard County, AR spend on groceries?
About $26.4M a year, or $5,171 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $5.3M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,098 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, AR compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Howard County has 9.8 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 44% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $5.3M, 43% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Howard County would have about 3, against 5 on map listings.
How fast is Howard County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 12,306 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,098 households. Median household income in Howard County is $45,603, 44% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. Howard County scores 11 for grocery stores (low), #1,998 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.