Food and drink · County · Arkansas
Sit-down restaurants in Van Buren County, AR
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Van Buren County, AR, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,700 of 2,405 scored counties
#28 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas
- Listings
- 39
- 17 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $21.7M
- On food away from home · $2,915 a household
- Spending per listing
- $556K
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 52.5
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,238
- +2.8% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 39 sit-down restaurants in Van Buren County. Of those, 17 are chain locations, or 44%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 52.5 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in Van Buren County spend about $21.7M a year on food away from home, or $2,915 per household, 28% below the U.S. average. Spread across 39 sit-down restaurants, that is $556K per restaurant, 16% 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 9 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Van Buren County in 2023. That is one for every 826 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Van Buren County grew 2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Van Buren County has a Groundwork market score of 39 (lower middle): #1,700 of 2,405 scored counties and #28 of 61 scored counties in Arkansas.
How Van Buren 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 | Van Buren County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 52.5 | 56.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $556K | $600K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 826 | 599 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.8% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,915 | $3,400 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $50,354 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 9
- Employees, 2023
- 80
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3917 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 33The 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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,238+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 7,432
- Median age
- 49.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 710 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 23
- Median household income
- $50,354+30.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $62,356
- Median home value
- $135,700
- Jobs located here
- 3,785
- Daytime population
- 14,903Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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 |
| 28Van Buren County, AR | 39 | 39 | 52.5 | $556K | +2.8% | #1,700 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Van Buren County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza48
- Coffee shops and cafes26
- 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 Van Buren County, AR?
Van Buren County has 39 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 17 of them (44%) 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. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Van Buren County, AR spend on food away from home?
About $21.7M a year, or $2,915 per household. That is 28% below the U.S. average (an index of 72, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 39 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $556K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,432 households in Van Buren County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Van Buren County, AR compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Van Buren County has 52.5 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $556K, 16% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Van Buren County would have about 33, against 39 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 826 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Van Buren County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Van Buren County at 16,238 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,432 households. The median household income in Van Buren County is $50,354 a year, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.8% 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. Van Buren County scores 39 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,700 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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.