Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Restaurants and cafes in Saline County, AR
The restaurants and cafes in Saline County, AR, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 79 out of 100: High
Ranked #153 of 2,405 scored counties
#2 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 347
- 162 chain locations (47%)
- Official establishments
- 175
- +32.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $190.4M
- On food away from home · $3,792 a household
- Spending per listing
- $549K
- 48% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 69.1
- 37% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 133,288
- +7.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Saline 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 Saline 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, Saline County has a Groundwork market score of 79 (high): #153 of 2,405 scored counties and #2 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.
As of September 2026, map listings count 347 restaurants and cafes in Saline County. Chain locations make up 47% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 69.1, 37% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Saline County spend about $190.4M a year on food away from home, or $3,792 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That works out to $549K per restaurant, 48% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Saline County was 175 in 2023, up 32.6% from 2019. That is one for every 287 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Saline County. Population estimates show Saline County grew 7.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Saline 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 | Saline County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 69.1 | 98.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $549K | $345K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 287 | 238 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +32.6% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.6% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,792 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $79,046 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 79 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 132 → 175+32.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,686
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $73.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 41Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 347162 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 513The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Saline 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 Saline County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 133,288+7.6% since 2020
- Households
- 50,203
- Median age
- 40.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 724 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 176
- Median household income
- $79,046+22.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,923
- Median home value
- $221,200
- Jobs located here
- 29,052
- Daytime population
- 99,620Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Saline 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 Saline 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 Saline 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 |
Other business types in Saline County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes79
- Sit-down restaurants80
- Fast food and sandwich shops71
- Pizza68
- Coffee shops and cafes78
- Bakeries and dessert shops72
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 Saline County, AR?
Saline County has 347 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 162 of them (47%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 175 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 32.6% from 2019. Another 41 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Saline County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $190.4M a year, or $3,792 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 347 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $549K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 50,203 households in Saline County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Saline County, AR compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Saline County has 69.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $549K, 48% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Saline County would have about 513, against 347 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 287 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 32.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Saline County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Saline County at 133,288 people in 2025, up 7.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 50,203 households. The median household income in Saline County is $79,046 a year, 2% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.7% 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. Saline County scores 79 for restaurants and cafes (high), #153 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Saline 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 Saline County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Saline 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 Saline 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.