Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Restaurants and cafes in Van Buren County, AR
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Van Buren County, AR, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,287 of 2,405 scored counties
#18 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 62
- 26 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 18
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $21.7M
- On food away from home · $2,915 a household
- Spending per listing
- $349K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 83.4
- 24% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,238
- +2.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 62 restaurants and cafes in Van Buren County. 26 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 83.4 for every 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $2,915 per household (28% below the U.S. average), households in Van Buren County spend about $21.7M a year on food away from home. That works out to $349K per restaurant, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Van Buren County in 2023. That is one for every 413 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 17 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $950K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Van Buren County.
Population estimates show Van Buren County grew 2.8% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Van Buren County is 48 (lower middle), #1,287 of 2,405 scored counties and #18 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas.
How Van Buren 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 | Van Buren County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 83.4 | 98.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $349K | $345K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 413 | 238 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,915 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $50,354 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 18
- Employees, 2023
- 372
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 17Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6226 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 58The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $950K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,238+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 7,432
- Median age
- 49.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 710 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 23
- Median household income
- $50,354+30.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $62,356
- Median home value
- $135,700
- Jobs located here
- 3,785
- Daytime population
- 14,903Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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 |
| 18Van Buren County, AR | 48 | 62 | 83.4 | $349K | +2.8% | #1,287 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Van Buren County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza48
- Coffee shops and cafes26
- 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 Van Buren County, AR?
There are 62 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Van Buren County as of September 2026. 26 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts also show 17 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Van Buren County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $21.7M a year, or $2,915 per household. That is 28% below the U.S. average (an index of 72, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 62 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $349K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,432 households in Van Buren County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Van Buren County, AR compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Van Buren County has 83.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $349K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Van Buren County would have about 58, against 62 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 413 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Van Buren County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Van Buren County at 16,238 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,432 households. The median household income in Van Buren County is $50,354 a year, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.8% 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. Van Buren County scores 48 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,287 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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.