Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Restaurants and cafes in Pulaski County, AR
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Pulaski County, AR, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,030 of 2,405 scored counties
#43 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 1,981
- 842 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 872
- +4.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $612.1M
- On food away from home · $3,550 a household
- Spending per listing
- $309K
- 17% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 114.9
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 404,611
- +1.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Pulaski 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 Pulaski 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
For restaurants and cafes, Pulaski County has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #2,030 of 2,405 scored counties and #43 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Pulaski County comes to about $612.1M a year: $3,550 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. Spread across 1,981 restaurants and cafes, that is $309K per restaurant, 17% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Pulaski County has 1,981 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 842 are chain locations, or 43%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 114.9 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 872 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Pulaski County in 2023, up 4.7% from 2019. That is one for every 198 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 16 SBA-backed loans worth $8M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Pulaski County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Pulaski County grew 1.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Pulaski 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 | Pulaski County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 114.9 | 98.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $309K | $345K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 198 | 238 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.7% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.3% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,550 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,873 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 833 → 872+4.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 17,583
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $377.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 189Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,981842 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,651The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 16
- Amount
- $8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Pulaski 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 Pulaski County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 404,611+1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 172,409
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 758 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 527
- Median household income
- $62,873+21.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,992
- Median home value
- $214,700
- Jobs located here
- 267,329
- Daytime population
- 495,823Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Pulaski 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 Pulaski 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 Pulaski 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 |
| 43Pulaski County, AR | 30 | 1,981 | 114.9 | $309K | +1.3% | #2,030 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Pulaski County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants29
- Fast food and sandwich shops32
- Pizza41
- Coffee shops and cafes51
- Bakeries and dessert shops41
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 Pulaski County, AR?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,981 restaurants and cafes in Pulaski County. 842 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 872 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 189 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Pulaski County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $612.1M a year, or $3,550 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,981 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $309K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 172,409 households in Pulaski County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Pulaski County, AR compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Pulaski County has 114.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $309K, 17% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Pulaski County would have about 1,651, against 1,981 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 198 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Pulaski County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Pulaski County at 404,611 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 172,409 households. Median household income in Pulaski County is $62,873, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.5%, 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. Pulaski County scores 30 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,030 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Pulaski 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 Pulaski County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Pulaski 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 Pulaski 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.