Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Sit-down restaurants in Little River County, AR
How Little River 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 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,890 of 2,405 scored counties
#34 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 27
- 4 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $15.5M
- On food away from home · $3,208 a household
- Spending per listing
- $573K
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 56.0
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 11,763
- −1.8% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Little River 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 Little River 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
For sit-down restaurants, Little River County has a Groundwork market score of 34 (lower middle): #1,890 of 2,405 scored counties and #34 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $3,208 per household (21% below the U.S. average), households in Little River County spend about $15.5M a year on food away from home. That works out to $573K per restaurant, 14% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 27 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Little River County as of September 2026. 4 of them (15%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 56.0, 9% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 6 businesses with payroll in Little River County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 803 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Population estimates show Little River County declined 1.8% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Little River 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 | Little River County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 56.0 | 56.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $573K | $600K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 803 | 599 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.8% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.8% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,208 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $53,344 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 60
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $878K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 274 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 23The 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 Little River 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 Little River County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 11,763−1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 4,820
- Median age
- 43.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 531 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $53,344+18.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,347
- Median home value
- $113,500
- Jobs located here
- 3,100
- Daytime population
- 10,183Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Little River 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 Little River 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 Little River 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 |
| 34Little River County, AR | 34 | 27 | 56.0 | $573K | −1.8% | #1,890 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Little River County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes32
- Sit-down restaurants34
- Fast food and sandwich shops23
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes10
- Bakeries and dessert shops11
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 Little River County, AR?
As of September 2026, map listings count 27 sit-down restaurants in Little River County. 4 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Little River County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $15.5M a year, or $3,208 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $573K 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 4,820 households in Little River County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Little River County, AR compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Little River County has 56.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $573K, 14% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Little River County would have about 23, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 803 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Little River County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Little River County at 11,763 people in 2025, down 1.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,820 households. Median household income in Little River County is $53,344, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.3%, 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. Little River County scores 34 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,890 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Little River 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 Little River County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Little River 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 Little River 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.