Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Restaurants and cafes in Garland County, AR
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Garland County, AR, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 17 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,343 of 2,405 scored counties
#58 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 504
- 160 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 234
- +5.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $140.9M
- On food away from home · $3,226 a household
- Spending per listing
- $280K
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 115.4
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 99,695
- −0.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Garland 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 Garland 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 Garland County is 17 (low), #2,343 of 2,405 scored counties and #58 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 504 restaurants and cafes in Garland County. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 115.4, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Garland County spend about $140.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,226 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That works out to $280K per restaurant, 25% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 234 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Garland County in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019. That is one for every 187 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $1.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Garland County. Population estimates put the population change in Garland County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Garland 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 | Garland County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 115.4 | 98.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $280K | $345K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 187 | 238 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.9% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,226 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $57,181 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 17 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 221 → 234+5.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,368
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $95.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 38Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 504160 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 380The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $1.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Garland 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 Garland County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 99,695−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 43,667
- Median age
- 46.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 678 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 148
- Median household income
- $57,181+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,414
- Median home value
- $194,300
- Jobs located here
- 38,998
- Daytime population
- 100,390Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Garland 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 Garland 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 Garland 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 |
| 58Garland County, AR | 17 | 504 | 115.4 | $280K | −0.6% | #2,343 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Garland County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes17
- Sit-down restaurants17
- Fast food and sandwich shops29
- Pizza37
- Coffee shops and cafes29
- Bakeries and dessert shops21
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 Garland County, AR?
Garland County has 504 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 160 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 234 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019. Another 38 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Garland County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $140.9M a year, or $3,226 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 504 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $280K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,667 households in Garland County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Garland County, AR compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Garland County has 115.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $280K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Garland County would have about 380, against 504 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 187 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Garland County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Garland County at 99,695 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 43,667 households. The median household income in Garland County is $57,181 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.7% 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. Garland County scores 17 for restaurants and cafes (low), #2,343 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Garland 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 Garland County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Garland 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 Garland 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.