Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Restaurants and cafes in Craighead County, AR
How Craighead 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 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,920 of 2,405 scored counties
#37 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 496
- 253 chain locations (51%)
- Official establishments
- 220
- +11.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $151.5M
- On food away from home · $3,410 a household
- Spending per listing
- $306K
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 111.6
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 116,957
- +4.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Craighead 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 Craighead 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Craighead County is 33 (lower middle), #1,920 of 2,405 scored counties and #37 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 496 restaurants and cafes in Craighead County. Of those, 253 are chain locations, or 51%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 111.6 for every 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,410 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Craighead County spend about $151.5M a year on food away from home. That works out to $306K per restaurant, 18% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 220 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Craighead County in 2023, up 11.7% from 2019. That is one for every 202 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $2.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Craighead County. Population estimates show Craighead County grew 4.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Craighead 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 | Craighead County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 111.6 | 98.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $306K | $345K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 202 | 238 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.7% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,410 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $59,548 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 197 → 220+11.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,692
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $93.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 62Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 496253 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 409The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $2.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Craighead 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 Craighead County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 116,957+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 44,437
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 707 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 160
- Median household income
- $59,548+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,050
- Median home value
- $210,400
- Jobs located here
- 53,731
- Daytime population
- 120,635Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Craighead 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 Craighead 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 Craighead 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 |
| 37Craighead County, AR | 33 | 496 | 111.6 | $306K | +4.8% | #1,920 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Craighead County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes33
- Sit-down restaurants35
- Fast food and sandwich shops30
- Pizza37
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- Bakeries and dessert shops41
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 Craighead County, AR?
There are 496 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Craighead County as of September 2026. 253 of them (51%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 220 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 11.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 62 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Craighead County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $151.5M a year, or $3,410 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 496 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $306K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 44,437 households in Craighead County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Craighead County, AR compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Craighead County has 111.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $306K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Craighead County would have about 409, against 496 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 202 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Craighead County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Craighead County at 116,957 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 44,437 households. The median household income in Craighead County is $59,548 a year, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.9% 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. 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. Craighead County scores 33 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,920 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Craighead 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 Craighead County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Craighead 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 Craighead 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.