Market rankings · Arkansas

Sit-down restaurants in Arkansas

Markets across Arkansas ranked by the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 6,834; 2,389 chain locations (35%)
Official establishments: 2,015; −1.8% since 2019
Household spending a year: $4.1B; On food away from home
Listings per 10k households: 56.7; 8% below the U.S.
Spending per listing: $600K; 10% below the U.S.
Rank among states: #33 of 51; Market score 42 · Lower middle

A site report maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings around any address in Arkansas by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 6,834 sit-down restaurants in Arkansas. Chain locations make up 35% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 56.7 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

At $3,400 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Arkansas spend about $4.1B a year on food away from home. Spread across 6,834 sit-down restaurants, that is $600K per restaurant, 10% below the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 2,015 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Arkansas in 2023, down 1.8% from 2019. That is one for every 599 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 1.5% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 66 SBA-backed loans worth $23.3M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Arkansas.

Among the 50 states and DC, Arkansas ranks #33 for sit-down restaurants, with a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle). Of the 7 scored metro areas in or partly in Arkansas, the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area scores highest (55). Of the 14 scored small-town markets in or partly in Arkansas, the Malvern area scores highest (71).

Every market in Arkansas for sit-down restaurants

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Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Arkansas, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Arkansas, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR	55	1,302	60.4	$664K	+13.1%	#147 of 387
2Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR	42	1,843	59.2	$608K	+3.8%	#263 of 387
Memphis, TN-MS-AR	32	3,362	64.3	$565K	−0.3%	#331 of 387
3Jonesboro, AR	30	345	64.8	$512K	+3.6%	#348 of 387
4Fort Smith, AR-OK	28	528	58.0	$566K	+3.1%	#355 of 387
Texarkana, TX-AR	25	337	59.9	$541K	−0.4%	#364 of 387
5Hot Springs, AR	8	284	65.0	$496K	−0.6%	#387 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Arkansas, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Malvern, AR	71	41	33.3	$943K	+1.1%	#64 of 538
2Harrison, AR	55	78	42.1	$745K	+2.4%	#215 of 538
3Russellville, AR	52	165	50.5	$642K	+1.6%	#249 of 538
4Batesville, AR	50	79	54.0	$597K	+2.2%	#268 of 538
5Searcy, AR	46	158	53.3	$592K	+4.2%	#316 of 538
6Paragould, AR	44	92	51.1	$629K	+3.4%	#330 of 538
7Camden, AR	43	48	46.5	$662K	−3.6%	#338 of 538
8Pine Bluff, AR	41	128	47.5	$641K	−5.6%	#361 of 538
9Magnolia, AR	37	46	54.7	$575K	−3.7%	#406 of 538
10Arkadelphia, AR	35	45	55.4	$563K	−2.2%	#425 of 538
11Mountain Home, AR	34	102	52.7	$574K	+3.1%	#432 of 538
12Blytheville, AR	32	89	57.6	$555K	−6.7%	#456 of 538
13El Dorado, AR	30	89	59.3	$541K	−5.2%	#465 of 538
14Forrest City, AR	17	50	64.2	$432K	−5.3%	#531 of 538

Counties

Counties in Arkansas, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Saline County, AR	80	202	40.2	$942K	+7.6%	#128 of 2,405
2Madison County, AR	77	19	29.4	$1.1M	+11.2%	#188 of 2,405
3Grant County, AR	73	23	33.0	$1.1M	+4.1%	#298 of 2,405
4Lonoke County, AR	71	121	42.4	$859K	+3.5%	#349 of 2,405
5Perry County, AR	70	9	22.0	$1.5M	+3.1%	#358 of 2,405
6Marion County, AR	70	20	26.1	$1.1M	+4.3%	#363 of 2,405
7Fulton County, AR	68	12	25.2	$1.1M	+3.7%	#420 of 2,405
8Benton County, AR	66	667	59.6	$726K	+16.0%	#506 of 2,405
9Logan County, AR	65	29	34.0	$968K	+2.5%	#521 of 2,405
10Hot Spring County, AR	63	41	33.3	$943K	+1.1%	#611 of 2,405
11Crawford County, AR	60	102	43.7	$764K	+4.1%	#752 of 2,405
12Franklin County, AR	57	26	36.9	$834K	+3.5%	#856 of 2,405
13Faulkner County, AR	57	274	55.6	$642K	+8.2%	#878 of 2,405
14Conway County, AR	51	37	44.7	$684K	+3.2%	#1,140 of 2,405
15Izard County, AR	49	23	44.0	$644K	+5.9%	#1,240 of 2,405
16Yell County, AR	46	38	45.7	$680K	−1.3%	#1,368 of 2,405
17Jackson County, AR	44	27	44.4	$657K	0.0%	#1,464 of 2,405
18Washington County, AR	43	616	63.4	$585K	+9.9%	#1,510 of 2,405
19Lawrence County, AR	42	26	39.3	$760K	+0.3%	#1,519 of 2,405
20Ashley County, AR	42	28	38.1	$723K	−5.9%	#1,522 of 2,405
21Boone County, AR	42	71	46.2	$682K	+3.3%	#1,533 of 2,405
22Independence County, AR	42	79	54.0	$597K	+2.2%	#1,558 of 2,405
23Pope County, AR	41	127	52.2	$631K	+2.5%	#1,596 of 2,405
24Randolph County, AR	40	35	47.7	$628K	+1.5%	#1,642 of 2,405
25White County, AR	40	158	53.3	$592K	+4.2%	#1,652 of 2,405

Show all 75 counties

Counties in Arkansas, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Polk County, AR	39	37	46.8	$652K	+1.6%	#1,684 of 2,405
27Miller County, AR	39	77	47.1	$640K	−0.5%	#1,688 of 2,405
28Van Buren County, AR	39	39	52.5	$556K	+2.8%	#1,700 of 2,405
29Greene County, AR	38	92	51.1	$629K	+3.4%	#1,727 of 2,405
30Lincoln County, AR	37	17	47.3	$649K	−1.0%	#1,765 of 2,405
31Johnson County, AR	36	52	50.4	$569K	+2.0%	#1,809 of 2,405
32Craighead County, AR	35	293	65.9	$517K	+4.8%	#1,851 of 2,405
33Jefferson County, AR	34	122	50.8	$595K	−5.7%	#1,888 of 2,405
34Little River County, AR	34	27	56.0	$573K	−1.8%	#1,890 of 2,405
35Stone County, AR	33	33	62.7	$432K	+2.9%	#1,942 of 2,405
36Ouachita County, AR	32	45	52.2	$578K	−3.9%	#1,967 of 2,405
37Columbia County, AR	32	46	54.7	$575K	−3.7%	#1,968 of 2,405
38Hempstead County, AR	32	39	52.1	$560K	−4.6%	#1,973 of 2,405
39Sharp County, AR	31	34	49.6	$589K	+4.7%	#2,000 of 2,405
40Crittenden County, AR	31	99	54.4	$571K	−3.9%	#2,005 of 2,405
41Sevier County, AR	31	35	62.3	$486K	−0.1%	#2,019 of 2,405
42Baxter County, AR	30	102	52.7	$574K	+3.1%	#2,045 of 2,405
43Clark County, AR	30	45	55.4	$563K	−2.2%	#2,049 of 2,405
44Poinsett County, AR	30	52	59.1	$484K	−2.0%	#2,062 of 2,405
45Pulaski County, AR	29	1,214	70.4	$504K	+1.3%	#2,088 of 2,405
46Cleburne County, AR	28	66	62.7	$498K	+3.9%	#2,126 of 2,405
47Clay County, AR	27	28	46.5	$638K	−3.3%	#2,143 of 2,405
48Mississippi County, AR	27	89	57.6	$555K	−6.7%	#2,154 of 2,405
49Sebastian County, AR	27	352	67.5	$493K	+2.2%	#2,157 of 2,405
50Cross County, AR	26	41	63.2	$501K	−3.6%	#2,180 of 2,405
51Union County, AR	25	89	59.3	$541K	−5.2%	#2,201 of 2,405
52Drew County, AR	24	50	69.5	$418K	−1.5%	#2,236 of 2,405
53Howard County, AR	23	26	51.0	$565K	−3.6%	#2,247 of 2,405
54Phillips County, AR	23	31	51.5	$528K	−13.0%	#2,252 of 2,405
55Pike County, AR	21	26	63.7	$482K	−1.9%	#2,291 of 2,405
56Carroll County, AR	19	116	102.2	$312K	+3.6%	#2,337 of 2,405
57Garland County, AR	17	284	65.0	$496K	−0.6%	#2,351 of 2,405
58Desha County, AR	17	34	73.8	$367K	−11.8%	#2,357 of 2,405
59Arkansas County, AR	16	44	65.6	$471K	−7.4%	#2,363 of 2,405
60St. Francis County, AR	15	50	64.2	$432K	−5.3%	#2,375 of 2,405
61Bradley County, AR	13	23	61.3	$468K	−6.4%	#2,382 of 2,405
Scott County, AR	Not scored	14	35.1	$781K	+1.4%
Chicot County, AR	Not scored	29	73.1	$376K	−10.3%
Montgomery County, AR	Not scored	6	16.2	$1.9M	+1.1%
Lee County, AR	Not scored	15	55.8	$495K	−6.4%
Nevada County, AR	Not scored	7	21.5	$1.3M	−4.1%
Prairie County, AR	Not scored	16	49.1	$629K	−3.9%
Searcy County, AR	Not scored	13	40.7	$691K	0.0%
Cleveland County, AR	Not scored	6	20.5	$1.6M	−4.3%
Newton County, AR	Not scored	7	22.0	$1.4M	−2.3%
Monroe County, AR	Not scored	21	75.3	$370K	−7.8%
Dallas County, AR	Not scored	14	54.7	$527K	−6.7%
Lafayette County, AR	Not scored	11	42.0	$660K	−6.4%
Woodruff County, AR	Not scored	13	48.3	$607K	−8.2%
Calhoun County, AR	Not scored	3	17.8	$1.9M	−2.2%

Markets with fewer than 5 sit-down restaurants on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Arkansas?

Arkansas has 6,834 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 2,389 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 2,015 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 1.8% from 2019. Official counts list 487 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Arkansas spend on food away from home?

About $4.1B a year, or $3,400 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6,834 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $600K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,205,987 households in Arkansas and national spending patterns by income.

How does Arkansas compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Arkansas has 56.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $600K, 10% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Arkansas would have about 6,179, against 6,834 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 599 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

Which market in Arkansas has the highest market score for sit-down restaurants?

Among 7 scored metro areas in or partly in Arkansas, the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area scores highest, at 55 (upper middle). Among 14 scored small-town markets in or partly in Arkansas, the Malvern area scores highest, at 71 (upper middle). Among 61 scored counties in Arkansas, Saline County scores highest, at 80 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Arkansas scores 42 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #33 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Arkansas. It maps the sit-down restaurants 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.

Restaurants and cafes11,878 listings
Fast food and sandwich shops1,717 listings
Pizza974 listings
Coffee shops and cafes1,108 listings
Bakeries and dessert shops1,083 listings

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