Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Sit-down restaurants in Benton County, AR
How Benton County, AR compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #506 of 2,405 scored counties
#8 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 667
- 257 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 195
- +2.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $484M
- On food away from home · $4,324 a household
- Spending per listing
- $726K
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 59.6
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 332,554
- +16.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Benton County
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants 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 Benton 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
Households in Benton County spend about $484M a year on food away from home, or $4,324 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. That is about $726K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 9% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Benton County has 667 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 39% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 59.6 per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 195 businesses with payroll in Benton County classed as full-service restaurants, up 2.6% from 2019. That is one for every 574 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 58 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 18 SBA-backed loans worth $6.6M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Benton County.
Population estimates put the population change in Benton County from 2020 to 2025 at +16.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Benton County is 66 (upper middle), #506 of 2,405 scored counties and #8 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Benton 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 sit-down restaurants 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 | Benton County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 59.6 | 56.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $726K | $600K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 574 | 599 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.6% | −1.8% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +16.0% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,324 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $93,506 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 190 → 195+2.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,729
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $120.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 58Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 667257 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 729The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 18
- Amount
- $6.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Benton 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 Benton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 332,554+16.0% since 2020
- Households
- 111,919
- Median age
- 36.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 848 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 358
- Median household income
- $93,506+40.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $126,066
- Median home value
- $323,500
- Jobs located here
- 151,032
- Daytime population
- 313,270Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Benton 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Benton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-down restaurants across Arkansas
Every Arkansas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Arkansas for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Arkansas, with Benton County marked.
Top counties in Arkansas
| 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 |
Other business types in Benton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes65
- Sit-down restaurants66
- Fast food and sandwich shops66
- Pizza71
- Coffee shops and cafes65
- Bakeries and dessert shops57
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 sit-down restaurants are in Benton County, AR?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 667 sit-down restaurants in Benton County. 257 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 195 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 2.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 58 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Benton County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $484M a year, or $4,324 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 667 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $726K per restaurant. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 111,919 households in Benton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Benton County, AR compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Benton County has 59.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $726K, 9% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Benton County would have about 729, against 667 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 574 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Benton County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Benton County at 332,554 people in 2025, up 16.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 111,919 households. Median household income in Benton County is $93,506, 16% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 40.9%, 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. Benton County scores 66 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #506 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Benton County. 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.
How the score works · Top markets for sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in Benton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Benton 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 Benton 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.