Food and drink · Small-town market · Arkansas
Restaurants and cafes in the Magnolia, AR area
How the Magnolia, AR area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #503 of 538 scored small-town markets
#12 of 14 scored small-town markets based in Arkansas
- Listings
- 85
- 36 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 38
- −5.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $26.4M
- On food away from home · $3,145 a household
- Spending per listing
- $311K
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 101.1
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 21,894
- −3.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Magnolia area
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 the Magnolia area. 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 the Magnolia area is 22 (low), #503 of 538 scored small-town markets and #12 of 14 scored small-town markets based in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 85 restaurants and cafes in the Magnolia area. 36 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 101.1, 8% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in the Magnolia area comes to about $26.4M a year: $3,145 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. That works out to $311K per restaurant, 16% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Magnolia area was 38 in 2023, down 5.0% from 2019. That is one for every 221 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Magnolia area declined 3.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Magnolia area 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 | Magnolia area | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 101.1 | 98.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $311K | $345K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 221 | 238 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.0% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.7% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,145 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $55,334 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38−5.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 616
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8536 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 71The 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 the Magnolia area, 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 the Magnolia area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 21,894−3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 8,409
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 766 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 29
- Median household income
- $55,334+52.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $69,996
- Median home value
- $152,100
- Jobs located here
- 7,940
- Daytime population
- 21,908Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Magnolia area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Magnolia area. 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 small-town markets in Arkansas for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Arkansas, with the Magnolia area marked.
Top small-town markets in Arkansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Malvern, AR | 74 | 67 | 54.4 | $577K | +1.1% | #54 of 538 |
| 2Harrison, AR | 59 | 151 | 81.4 | $385K | +2.4% | #177 of 538 |
| 3Paragould, AR | 53 | 161 | 89.5 | $359K | +3.4% | #234 of 538 |
| 4Russellville, AR | 52 | 284 | 86.9 | $373K | +1.6% | #242 of 538 |
| 5Camden, AR | 47 | 86 | 83.4 | $370K | −3.6% | #289 of 538 |
| 6Batesville, AR | 47 | 136 | 92.9 | $347K | +2.2% | #293 of 538 |
| 7Searcy, AR | 47 | 279 | 94.2 | $335K | +4.2% | #297 of 538 |
| 8Mountain Home, AR | 45 | 171 | 88.4 | $343K | +3.1% | #320 of 538 |
| 9Pine Bluff, AR | 40 | 230 | 85.3 | $357K | −5.6% | #373 of 538 |
| 10Blytheville, AR | 25 | 153 | 99.0 | $323K | −6.7% | #482 of 538 |
| 12Magnolia, AR | 22 | 85 | 101.1 | $311K | −3.7% | #503 of 538 |
Other business types in the Magnolia area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes22
- Sit-down restaurants37
- Fast food and sandwich shops7
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes37
- Bakeries and dessert shops16
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 the Magnolia, AR area?
The Magnolia area has 85 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 36 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 5.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Magnolia, AR area spend on food away from home?
About $26.4M a year, or $3,145 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 85 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $311K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,409 households in the Magnolia area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Magnolia, AR area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Magnolia area has 101.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $311K, 16% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Magnolia area would have about 71, against 85 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 221 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Magnolia, AR area growing?
Population estimates put the Magnolia area at 21,894 people in 2025, down 3.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,409 households. The median household income in the Magnolia area is $55,334 a year, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 52.9% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Magnolia area scores 22 for restaurants and cafes (low), #503 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Magnolia area. 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 the Magnolia area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Magnolia area?
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 the Magnolia area. 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.