Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Restaurants and cafes in Cross County, AR
The restaurants and cafes in Cross County, AR, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 29 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,055 of 2,405 scored counties
#44 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 59
- 24 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 26
- +13.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $20.5M
- On food away from home · $3,170 a household
- Spending per listing
- $348K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 91.0
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,186
- −3.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Cross 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 Cross 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 Cross County is 29 (lower middle), #2,055 of 2,405 scored counties and #44 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 59 restaurants and cafes in Cross County. Chain locations make up 41% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 91.0, 17% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,170 per household (22% below the U.S. average), households in Cross County spend about $20.5M a year on food away from home. That works out to $348K per restaurant, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cross County was 26 in 2023, up 13.0% from 2019. That is one for every 249 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $62K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cross County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cross County declined 3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Cross 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 | Cross County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 91.0 | 98.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $348K | $345K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 249 | 238 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.0% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,170 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $50,863 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 29 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 23 → 26+13.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 404
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5924 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
- $62K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cross 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 Cross County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,186−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 6,483
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 616 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 27
- Median household income
- $50,863+8.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,643
- Median home value
- $117,500
- Jobs located here
- 4,707
- Daytime population
- 14,440Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cross 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 Cross 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 Cross 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 |
| 44Cross County, AR | 29 | 59 | 91.0 | $348K | −3.6% | #2,055 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Cross County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes29
- Sit-down restaurants26
- Fast food and sandwich shops28
- Pizza9
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Cross County, AR?
Cross County has 59 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 24 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 26 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 13.0% from 2019. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Cross County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $20.5M a year, or $3,170 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 59 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $348K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,483 households in Cross County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cross County, AR compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Cross County has 91.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $348K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Cross County would have about 55, against 59 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 249 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Cross County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Cross County at 16,186 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,483 households. The median household income in Cross County is $50,863 a year, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 8.7% 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. Cross County scores 29 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,055 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cross 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 Cross County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cross 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 Cross 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.