Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Arkansas

Restaurants and cafes in Johnson County, AR

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Johnson County, AR, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,535 of 2,405 scored counties
#25 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas

Listings
83
31 chain locations (37%)
Official establishments
35
+12.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$29.6M
On food away from home · $2,870 a household
Spending per listing
$357K
4% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
80.5
27% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
26,225
+2.0% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Johnson 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 Johnson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Map listings as of September 2026 show 83 restaurants and cafes in Johnson County. Of those, 31 are chain locations, or 37%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 80.5, 27% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Households in Johnson County spend about $29.6M a year on food away from home, or $2,870 per household, 29% below the U.S. average. That is about $357K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 35 businesses with payroll in Johnson County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 12.9% from 2019. That is one for every 295 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 10 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates show Johnson County grew 2.0% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Johnson County has a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle): #1,535 of 2,405 scored counties and #25 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas.

How Johnson 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Johnson County, AR compared with Arkansas and the U.S.
MeasureJohnson CountyArkansasU.S.
Listings per 10k households80.598.5109.8
Spending per listing$357K$345K$371K
Households per official establishment295238209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+12.9%+8.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.0%+3.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$2,870$3,400$4,070
Median household income$45,995$60,773$80,734
Groundwork market score4243

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
31 → 35+12.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
499
Annual payroll, 2023
$8.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
10Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
8331 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
80The 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 Johnson 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 Johnson County

Population, 2025 estimate
26,225+2.0% since 2020
Households
10,316
Median age
40.2
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
661 sq. mi.
People per square mile
39
Median household income
$45,995+19.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$62,805
Median home value
$135,300
Jobs located here
8,460
Daytime population
25,404Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Johnson 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 Johnson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants 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 Johnson County marked.

Top counties in Arkansas

Counties in Arkansas ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Madison County, AR803554.2$594K+11.2%#135 of 2,405
2Saline County, AR7934769.1$549K+7.6%#153 of 2,405
3Perry County, AR781536.6$895K+3.1%#164 of 2,405
4Grant County, AR774564.5$552K+4.1%#198 of 2,405
5Marion County, AR733444.4$663K+4.3%#286 of 2,405
6Lonoke County, AR7221474.9$486K+3.5%#349 of 2,405
7Fulton County, AR712246.2$606K+3.7%#362 of 2,405
8Hot Spring County, AR656754.4$577K+1.1%#536 of 2,405
9Benton County, AR651,238110.6$391K+16.0%#579 of 2,405
10Logan County, AR636171.6$460K+2.5%#631 of 2,405
25Johnson County, AR428380.5$357K+2.0%#1,535 of 2,405

Other business types in Johnson County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Johnson County, AR?

There are 83 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Johnson County as of September 2026. 31 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 35 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 12.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 10 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Johnson County, AR spend on food away from home?

About $29.6M a year, or $2,870 per household. That is 29% below the U.S. average (an index of 71, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 83 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $357K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,316 households in Johnson County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Johnson County, AR compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Johnson County has 80.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $357K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Johnson County would have about 80, against 83 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 295 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Johnson County, AR growing?

Population estimates put Johnson County at 26,225 people in 2025, up 2.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 10,316 households. The median household income in Johnson County is $45,995 a year, 43% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.4% 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. Johnson County scores 42 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,535 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Johnson 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 Johnson County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Johnson 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 Johnson 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.