Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Restaurants and cafes in Arkansas County, AR
How Arkansas County, AR compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 16 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,350 of 2,405 scored counties
#59 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 70
- 29 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- +3.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $20.7M
- On food away from home · $3,089 a household
- Spending per listing
- $296K
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 104.4
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 15,836
- −7.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Arkansas County
The site report maps the restaurants and cafes 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 Arkansas 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
Arkansas County scores 16 (low) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #2,350 of 2,405 scored counties and #59 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $3,089 per household (24% below the U.S. average), households in Arkansas County spend about $20.7M a year on food away from home. That is about $296K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 20% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 70 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Arkansas County as of September 2026. 29 of them (41%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 104.4 per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 30 businesses with payroll in Arkansas County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 3.5% from 2019. That is one for every 224 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates show Arkansas County declined 7.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Arkansas County compares
The same measures for Arkansas and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the restaurants and cafes 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 | Arkansas County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 104.4 | 98.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $296K | $345K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 224 | 238 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.5% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −7.4% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,089 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $53,164 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 16 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 29 → 30+3.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 401
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7029 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 56The 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 restaurants and other eating places in Arkansas 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 Arkansas County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 15,836−7.4% since 2020
- Households
- 6,705
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 992 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 17
- Median household income
- $53,164+13.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $70,504
- Median home value
- $138,100
- Jobs located here
- 8,856
- Daytime population
- 18,148Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Arkansas 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 restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Arkansas County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardRestaurants and cafes across Arkansas
Every Arkansas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Arkansas for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Arkansas, with Arkansas County marked.
Top counties in Arkansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Madison County, AR | 80 | 35 | 54.2 | $594K | +11.2% | #135 of 2,405 |
| 2Saline County, AR | 79 | 347 | 69.1 | $549K | +7.6% | #153 of 2,405 |
| 3Perry County, AR | 78 | 15 | 36.6 | $895K | +3.1% | #164 of 2,405 |
| 4Grant County, AR | 77 | 45 | 64.5 | $552K | +4.1% | #198 of 2,405 |
| 5Marion County, AR | 73 | 34 | 44.4 | $663K | +4.3% | #286 of 2,405 |
| 6Lonoke County, AR | 72 | 214 | 74.9 | $486K | +3.5% | #349 of 2,405 |
| 7Fulton County, AR | 71 | 22 | 46.2 | $606K | +3.7% | #362 of 2,405 |
| 8Hot Spring County, AR | 65 | 67 | 54.4 | $577K | +1.1% | #536 of 2,405 |
| 9Benton County, AR | 65 | 1,238 | 110.6 | $391K | +16.0% | #579 of 2,405 |
| 10Logan County, AR | 63 | 61 | 71.6 | $460K | +2.5% | #631 of 2,405 |
| 59Arkansas County, AR | 16 | 70 | 104.4 | $296K | −7.4% | #2,350 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Arkansas County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes16
- Sit-down restaurants16
- Fast food and sandwich shops15
- Pizza29
- Coffee shops and cafes21
- Bakeries and dessert shops23
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many restaurants and cafes are in Arkansas County, AR?
As of September 2026, map listings count 70 restaurants and cafes in Arkansas County. 29 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.5% from 2019. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Arkansas County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $20.7M a year, or $3,089 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 70 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $296K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,705 households in Arkansas County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Arkansas County, AR compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Arkansas County has 104.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $296K, 20% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Arkansas County would have about 56, against 70 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 224 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Arkansas County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Arkansas County at 15,836 people in 2025, down 7.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,705 households. Median household income in Arkansas County is $53,164, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 13.9%, 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. Arkansas County scores 16 for restaurants and cafes (low), #2,350 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Arkansas County. It maps the restaurants and cafes 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 restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in Arkansas County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Arkansas 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 Arkansas 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.