Food and drink · Small-town market · Arkansas
Restaurants and cafes in the Malvern, AR area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Malvern, AR area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #54 of 538 scored small-town markets
#1 of 14 scored small-town markets based in Arkansas
- Listings
- 67
- 26 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 34
- +6.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $38.7M
- On food away from home · $3,141 a household
- Spending per listing
- $577K
- 56% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 54.4
- 50% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,451
- +1.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Malvern 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 Malvern 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 67 restaurants and cafes in the Malvern area. Chain locations make up 39% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 54.4 per 10,000 households, 50% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,141 per household (23% below the U.S. average), households in the Malvern area spend about $38.7M a year on food away from home. That works out to $577K per restaurant, 56% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 34 businesses with payroll in the Malvern area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 6.3% from 2019. That is one for every 362 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 10 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $2.1M has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Malvern area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Malvern area grew 1.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Malvern area scores 74 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #54 of 538 scored small-town markets and #1 of 14 scored small-town markets based in Arkansas. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Malvern 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 | Malvern area | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 54.4 | 98.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $577K | $345K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 362 | 238 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.3% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,141 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $55,405 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 34+6.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 447
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6726 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 104The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $2.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Malvern 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 Malvern area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 33,451+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 12,310
- Median age
- 42.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 615 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 54
- Median household income
- $55,405+26.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $70,323
- Median home value
- $151,100
- Jobs located here
- 7,843
- Daytime population
- 28,215Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Malvern 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 Malvern 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 Malvern 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 |
Other business types in the Malvern area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes74
- Sit-down restaurants71
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza68
- Coffee shops and cafes67
- 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 the Malvern, AR area?
There are 67 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Malvern area as of September 2026. 26 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 10 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Malvern, AR area spend on food away from home?
About $38.7M a year, or $3,141 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 67 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $577K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,310 households in the Malvern area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Malvern, AR area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Malvern area has 54.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 50% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $577K, 56% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Malvern area would have about 104, against 67 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 362 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Malvern, AR area growing?
Population estimates put the Malvern area at 33,451 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,310 households. The median household income in the Malvern area is $55,405 a year, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.2% 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 Malvern area scores 74 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #54 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 Malvern 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 Malvern area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Malvern 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 Malvern 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.