Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Restaurants and cafes in Sebastian County, AR
How Sebastian 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 25 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,193 of 2,405 scored counties
#50 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 625
- 252 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 261
- +4.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $173.7M
- On food away from home · $3,328 a household
- Spending per listing
- $278K
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 119.8
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 130,641
- +2.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Sebastian 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 Sebastian 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
Sebastian County scores 25 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #2,193 of 2,405 scored counties and #50 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $3,328 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Sebastian County spend about $173.7M a year on food away from home. That is about $278K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 25% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 625 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Sebastian County as of September 2026. Of those, 252 are chain locations, or 40%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 119.8, 9% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 261 businesses with payroll in Sebastian County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 4.8% from 2019. That is one for every 200 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Sebastian County. Population estimates put the population change in Sebastian County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Sebastian 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 | Sebastian County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 119.8 | 98.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $278K | $345K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 200 | 238 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.8% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,328 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $57,790 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 25 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 249 → 261+4.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,471
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $113.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 61Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 625252 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 468The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Sebastian 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 Sebastian County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 130,641+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 52,181
- Median age
- 38.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 531 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 243
- Median household income
- $57,790+25.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,364
- Median home value
- $176,200
- Jobs located here
- 69,861
- Daytime population
- 144,611Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Sebastian 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 Sebastian 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 Sebastian 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 |
| 50Sebastian County, AR | 25 | 625 | 119.8 | $278K | +2.2% | #2,193 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Sebastian County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes25
- Sit-down restaurants27
- Fast food and sandwich shops33
- Pizza32
- Coffee shops and cafes34
- Bakeries and dessert shops25
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 Sebastian County, AR?
As of September 2026, map listings count 625 restaurants and cafes in Sebastian County. 252 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 261 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019. Official counts list 61 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Sebastian County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $173.7M a year, or $3,328 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 625 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $278K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 52,181 households in Sebastian County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Sebastian County, AR compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Sebastian County has 119.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $278K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Sebastian County would have about 468, against 625 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 200 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Sebastian County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Sebastian County at 130,641 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 52,181 households. Median household income in Sebastian County is $57,790, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.0%, 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. Sebastian County scores 25 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,193 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sebastian 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 Sebastian County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Sebastian 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 Sebastian 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.