Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Sit-down restaurants in Pope County, AR
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Pope County, AR, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,596 of 2,405 scored counties
#23 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 127
- 46 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 40
- +2.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $80.1M
- On food away from home · $3,290 a household
- Spending per listing
- $631K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 52.2
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 64,976
- +2.5% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Pope 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 Pope 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
At $3,290 per household (19% below the U.S. average), households in Pope County spend about $80.1M a year on food away from home. That is about $631K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 5% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Pope County has 127 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 46 of them (36%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 52.2 per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 40 businesses with payroll in Pope County classed as full-service restaurants, up 2.6% from 2019. That is one for every 609 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show Pope County grew 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Pope County has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #1,596 of 2,405 scored counties and #23 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas.
How Pope 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 | Pope County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 52.2 | 56.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $631K | $600K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 609 | 599 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.6% | −1.8% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,290 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $57,344 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 39 → 40+2.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 822
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $17M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12746 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 121The 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 Pope 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 Pope County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 64,976+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 24,348
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 811 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 79
- Median household income
- $57,344+31.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,412
- Median home value
- $170,100
- Jobs located here
- 27,904
- Daytime population
- 65,219Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Pope 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 Pope 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 Pope 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 |
| 23Pope County, AR | 41 | 127 | 52.2 | $631K | +2.5% | #1,596 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Pope County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes35
- Sit-down restaurants41
- Fast food and sandwich shops25
- Pizza37
- Coffee shops and cafes47
- Bakeries and dessert shops36
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 Pope County, AR?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 127 sit-down restaurants in Pope County. 46 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 2.6% from 2019. Official counts list 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Pope County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $80.1M a year, or $3,290 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 127 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $631K 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 24,348 households in Pope County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Pope County, AR compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Pope County has 52.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $631K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Pope County would have about 121, against 127 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 609 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 Pope County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Pope County at 64,976 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,348 households. Median household income in Pope County is $57,344, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.9%, 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. Pope County scores 41 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,596 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Pope 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 Pope County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Pope 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 Pope 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.