Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Sit-down restaurants in Cross County, AR
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Cross County, AR, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,180 of 2,405 scored counties
#50 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 41
- 15 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $20.5M
- On food away from home · $3,170 a household
- Spending per listing
- $501K
- 24% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 63.2
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,186
- −3.6% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Cross 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 Cross 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
The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Cross County is 26 (lower middle), #2,180 of 2,405 scored counties and #50 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 41 sit-down restaurants in Cross County. Of those, 15 are chain locations, or 37%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 63.2, 3% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,170 per household (22% below the U.S. average), households in Cross County spend about $20.5M a year on food away from home. That works out to $501K per restaurant, 24% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 9 businesses with payroll in Cross County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 720 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Cross County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Cross 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 | Cross County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 63.2 | 56.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $501K | $600K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 720 | 599 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.8% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,170 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $50,863 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 26 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8 → 9
- Employees, 2023
- 133
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4115 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Cross 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 Cross County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,186−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 6,483
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 616 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 27
- Median household income
- $50,863+8.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,643
- Median home value
- $117,500
- Jobs located here
- 4,707
- Daytime population
- 14,440Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cross 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 Cross 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 Cross 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 |
| 50Cross County, AR | 26 | 41 | 63.2 | $501K | −3.6% | #2,180 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Cross County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes29
- Sit-down restaurants26
- Fast food and sandwich shops28
- Pizza9
- Coffee shops and cafes
- 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 sit-down restaurants are in Cross County, AR?
There are 41 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Cross County as of September 2026. 15 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Cross County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $20.5M a year, or $3,170 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 41 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $501K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,483 households in Cross County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cross County, AR compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Cross County has 63.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $501K, 24% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Cross County would have about 31, against 41 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 720 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Cross County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Cross County at 16,186 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,483 households. The median household income in Cross County is $50,863 a year, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 8.7% 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. Cross County scores 26 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #2,180 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cross 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 Cross County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cross 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 Cross 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.