Biggest Retail Cities in Arkansas: Top 25 Towns Ranked
Arkansas has 23,046 independent retail places spread across 283 towns. Little Rock leads with 2,253 — 9.8% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
Arkansas by the numbers
Where the stores are
Arkansas has 23,046 independent retail places — 751.2 per 100,000 residents, 1.04× the national average of 724.8 and 24th of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Little Rock holds 2,253 of them (9.8% of the state total). Fort Smith is second with 1,092 (4.7%). The 25 towns below account for 61.3% of Arkansas's retail; 283 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (2,352, 10.2% of the state's retail), followed by clothing stores (1,301).
Top 25 retail towns in Arkansas
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of Arkansas's 23,046 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Little Rock | 2,253 | 9.8% |
| 2 | Fort Smith | 1,092 | 4.7% |
| 3 | Fayetteville | 1,037 | 4.5% |
| 4 | North Little Rock | 887 | 3.8% |
| 5 | Jonesboro | 875 | 3.8% |
| 6 | Rogers | 798 | 3.5% |
| 7 | Conway | 753 | 3.3% |
| 8 | Springdale | 707 | 3.1% |
| 9 | Hot Springs | 641 | 2.8% |
| 10 | Bentonville | 591 | 2.6% |
| 11 | Russellville | 477 | 2.1% |
| 12 | Searcy | 388 | 1.7% |
| 13 | Mountain Home | 351 | 1.5% |
| 14 | Benton | 349 | 1.5% |
| 15 | Harrison | 342 | 1.5% |
| 16 | Pine Bluff | 317 | 1.4% |
| 17 | El Dorado | 300 | 1.3% |
| 18 | Van Buren | 288 | 1.2% |
| 19 | Paragould | 270 | 1.2% |
| 20 | Eureka Springs | 269 | 1.2% |
| 21 | Batesville | 260 | 1.1% |
| 22 | Jacksonville | 226 | 1.0% |
| 23 | Cabot | 225 | 1.0% |
| 24 | Siloam Springs | 217 | 0.9% |
| 25 | Texarkana | 215 | 0.9% |
Counts use the city/town label on each place, so boroughs, villages and unincorporated areas appear separately from their parent city.
Most common store types in Arkansas
The eight largest independent-retail categories in Arkansas, with each one's share of the state's 23,046 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 2,352 | 10.2% |
| 2 | Clothing Store | 1,301 | 5.6% |
| 3 | Miscellaneous Store | 1,251 | 5.4% |
| 4 | Furniture and Home Store | 1,230 | 5.3% |
| 5 | Print Store | 1,023 | 4.4% |
| 6 | Hardware Store | 1,009 | 4.4% |
| 7 | Discount Store | 877 | 3.8% |
| 8 | Shoe Store | 794 | 3.4% |
Each place is counted once under its primary retail category. Grocery, pharmacy, fuel, liquor, cannabis, automotive and mall categories are excluded.
Frequently asked questions
- Which city in Arkansas has the most retail stores?
- Little Rock, with 2,253 independent retail places — 9.8% of Arkansas's 23,046 total. Fort Smith is next with 1,092.
- How many independent retail stores are in Arkansas?
- 23,046 shoppable independent retail places, or 751.2 per 100,000 residents (1.04× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks Arkansas 24th of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in Arkansas?
- The construction supplies store: 2,352 places, or 10.2% of Arkansas's retail. Clothing Stores are second at 1,301.
Related reports
Store types where Arkansas ranks in the top 10
- Antique Stores by State: Every State RankedArkansas ranks #8 per capita (18.6 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- Biggest Retail Cities in Alabama: Top 25 Towns Ranked36,017 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Alaska: Top 25 Towns Ranked6,125 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Arizona: Top 25 Towns Ranked45,964 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in California: Top 25 Towns Ranked271,352 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Colorado: Top 25 Towns Ranked46,098 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Connecticut: Top 25 Towns Ranked28,565 retail places
Data & method
- Source: Foursquare Open Source Places (U.S. slice, Apache-2.0), counted by Useful Economy. Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2023 estimates (July 1, 2023).
- What counts as retail: an open place carrying a Retail category label. Grocery and other food retail, pharmacies, convenience stores and fuel, liquor, cannabis, tobacco and vape, automotive, gun and hunting, adult, betting, fireworks, markets and shopping malls are excluded, so the counts describe shoppable independent storefronts rather than all commerce.
- Counting rule: each place is counted once, under its primary retail category and the city/town label on its address. Town tables include only towns with at least five places. Per-100k figures divide by state population; city populations are not used.
- Generated: September 15, 2026. Figures refresh when the source data is re-counted.
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