Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Restaurants and cafes in Ashley County, AR
How Ashley 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 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,337 of 2,405 scored counties
#19 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 46
- 17 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- −20.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $20.2M
- On food away from home · $2,750 a household
- Spending per listing
- $440K
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 62.5
- 43% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 17,831
- −5.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Ashley 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 Ashley 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
Households in Ashley County spend about $20.2M a year on food away from home, or $2,750 per household, 32% below the U.S. average. That works out to $440K per restaurant, 19% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Ashley County has 46 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 62.5 for every 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ashley County was 20 in 2023, down 20.0% from 2019. That is one for every 368 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $198K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ashley County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ashley County declined 5.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Ashley County scores 46 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,337 of 2,405 scored counties and #19 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas.
How Ashley 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 | Ashley County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 62.5 | 98.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $440K | $345K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 368 | 238 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −20.0% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −5.9% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,750 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $44,266 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25 → 20−20.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 334
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4617 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 55The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $198K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ashley 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 Ashley County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 17,831−5.9% since 2020
- Households
- 7,356
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 926 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 20
- Median household income
- $44,266−1.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $58,274
- Median home value
- $91,900
- Jobs located here
- 5,531
- Daytime population
- 17,238Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ashley 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 Ashley 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 Ashley 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 |
| 19Ashley County, AR | 46 | 46 | 62.5 | $440K | −5.9% | #1,337 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Ashley County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops30
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops6
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 Ashley County, AR?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 46 restaurants and cafes in Ashley County. 17 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 20.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Ashley County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $20.2M a year, or $2,750 per household. That is 32% below the U.S. average (an index of 68, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 46 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $440K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,356 households in Ashley County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ashley County, AR compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Ashley County has 62.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $440K, 19% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Ashley County would have about 55, against 46 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 368 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 20.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Ashley County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Ashley County at 17,831 people in 2025, down 5.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,356 households. Median household income in Ashley County is $44,266, 45% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median fell 1.1%, 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. Ashley County scores 46 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,337 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ashley 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 Ashley County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ashley 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 Ashley 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.