Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Restaurants and cafes in Little River County, AR
How Little River 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 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,952 of 2,405 scored counties
#39 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 49
- 12 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $15.5M
- On food away from home · $3,208 a household
- Spending per listing
- $316K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 101.7
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 11,763
- −1.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Little River 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 Little River 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 Little River County is 32 (lower middle), #1,952 of 2,405 scored counties and #39 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $3,208 per household (21% below the U.S. average), households in Little River County spend about $15.5M a year on food away from home. That is about $316K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 49 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Little River County as of September 2026. Of those, 12 are chain locations, or 24%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 101.7 per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in Little River County classed as restaurants and other eating places. That is one for every 301 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Little River County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Little River 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 | Little River County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 101.7 | 98.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $316K | $345K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 301 | 238 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.8% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,208 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $53,344 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12 → 16
- Employees, 2023
- 225
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4912 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 42The 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 Little River 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 Little River County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 11,763−1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 4,820
- Median age
- 43.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 531 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $53,344+18.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,347
- Median home value
- $113,500
- Jobs located here
- 3,100
- Daytime population
- 10,183Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Little River 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 Little River 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 Little River 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 |
| 39Little River County, AR | 32 | 49 | 101.7 | $316K | −1.8% | #1,952 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Little River County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes32
- Sit-down restaurants34
- Fast food and sandwich shops23
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes10
- Bakeries and dessert shops11
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 Little River County, AR?
As of September 2026, map listings count 49 restaurants and cafes in Little River County. 12 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Little River County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $15.5M a year, or $3,208 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 49 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $316K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,820 households in Little River County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Little River County, AR compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Little River County has 101.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $316K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Little River County would have about 42, against 49 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 301 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Little River County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Little River County at 11,763 people in 2025, down 1.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,820 households. Median household income in Little River County is $53,344, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.3%, 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. Little River County scores 32 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,952 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Little River 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 Little River County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Little River 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 Little River 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.