Full-service restaurants in Arkansas: 2,240 locations, +0.6% jobs
Official counts for full-service restaurants in Arkansas, 2026 Q1: how many there are, whether they are adding jobs, what they pay, and how Arkansas compares with the other states. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, refreshed each quarter.
Arkansas against the country · 2026 Q1
| Arkansas | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-service restaurants with employees | 2,240 | 265,527 |
| Per 100,000 residents | 72.5 | 78.1 |
| Jobs | 41,414 | 5,242,690 |
| Jobs, year over year | +0.6% | -0.4% |
| Locations, year over year | +2.2% | +1.0% |
| Average weekly wage | $460 | $602 |
| Rank among states, density | 32 of 50 | |
| Rank among states, job growth | 10 of 50 |
What the numbers say
Arkansas has 2,240 full-service restaurants with payroll, employing 41,414 people. At 72.5 per 100,000 residents the market is close to the national average, number 32 among the 50 states with published data. Jobs grew +0.6% over the year, ahead of the national -0.4%. Locations grew faster than jobs, which usually means more and smaller operators entering: the kind of market where the cheapest service gets crowded first.
Average pay at full-service restaurants in Arkansas is $460 a week, 24% below the national figure of $602. Budget labor from this number, not from a national guide.
Over five years, from 2021 to 2025, the number of full-service restaurants in Arkansas moved +6.3%, from 2,105 to 2,237.
Full-service restaurants in Arkansas, annual average
- 20212,105
- 20222,073
- 20232,114
- 20242,124
- 20252,237
Jobs at full-service restaurants in Arkansas
- 202136,037
- 202237,986
- 202339,525
- 202440,273
- 202541,494
What counts as full-service restaurants here
Restaurants where customers order and are served at a table and pay after eating. Fast-casual counters and takeout are counted under quick-service. The code is NAICS 722511. BLS counts establishments that report payroll, so a one-person business with no employees is not in these figures; in trades with many solo operators the true number of businesses is higher.
Before you open one in Arkansas
A statewide figure tells you which way the wind blows. It does not tell you whether the corner you are looking at has the households, the income and the gap in competition to support one more. A counts the full-service restaurants within reach of one address in Arkansas, reads the county trend from the same BLS table, and scores the plan. The saturation check does a city-level version for free.
Questions people ask
How many full-service restaurants are there in Arkansas?
BLS counted 2,240 full-service restaurants with employees in Arkansas in 2026 Q1, employing 41,414 people. Owner-only businesses with no payroll are not in that count. That is 72.5 per 100,000 residents, against 78.1 nationally.
Are full-service restaurants growing in Arkansas?
Yes. Jobs at full-service restaurants in Arkansas changed +0.6% over the year to 2026 Q1, and the number of locations changed +2.2%. That ranks Arkansas 10 of 50 states for job growth in this business type. Over five years the location count moved +6.3%.
Is Arkansas a crowded market for full-service restaurants?
Arkansas has 72.5 full-service restaurants per 100,000 residents, close to the national average, ranking 32 of 50 states. Density is a statewide average; a Neur report counts the competitors around one address.
Full-service restaurants in every state
Densest first. The number is full-service restaurants per 100,000 residents in 2026 Q1.
Other business types in Arkansas
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector, NAICS 722511, 2026 Q1 (quarterly) and annual averages (five-year series); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year population estimates. This page is generated from those feeds and rewritten when a new quarter publishes. All 14 business types in Arkansas · Growth ranking for Arkansas · Full-service restaurants by state