Food and drink · County · Tennessee
Coffee shops and cafes in Sullivan County, TN
How Sullivan County, TN compares with other counties and the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #464 of 2,063 scored counties
#21 of 67 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 48
- 27 chain locations (56%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $232.3M
- On food away from home · $3,371 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.8M
- 31% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.0
- 36% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 163,759
- +3.5% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Sullivan County
The site report maps the coffee shops and cafes 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 Sullivan 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 48 coffee shops and cafes in Sullivan County. Chain locations make up 56% of them, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.0, 36% below the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Households in Sullivan County spend about $232.3M a year on food away from home, or $3,371 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $4.8M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 31% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. That spending covers all food away from home, which coffee shops and cafes share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 24 businesses with payroll in Sullivan County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 2,871 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $3.8M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Sullivan County.
Population estimates put the population change in Sullivan County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For coffee shops and cafes, Sullivan County has a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle): #464 of 2,063 scored counties and #21 of 67 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Sullivan County compares
The same measures for Tennessee and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the coffee shops and cafes 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 | Sullivan County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.0 | 9.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.8M | $4M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 2,871 | 1,869 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +62.3% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,371 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $58,807 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 24All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 303
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4827 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 63The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $3.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Sullivan 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. These official figures cover all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Population and households in Sullivan County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 163,759+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 68,907
- Median age
- 44.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 414 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 388
- Median household income
- $58,807+26.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,467
- Median home value
- $213,300
- Jobs located here
- 71,251
- Daytime population
- 164,416Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Sullivan 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 coffee shops and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Sullivan County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardCoffee shops and cafes across Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Sullivan County marked.
Top counties in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fayette County, TN | 92 | 8 | 4.6 | $8.6M | +7.7% | #16 of 2,063 |
| 2Roane County, TN | 87 | 8 | 3.5 | $10.3M | +7.0% | #37 of 2,063 |
| 3Cheatham County, TN | 82 | 9 | 5.5 | $7.2M | +4.1% | #76 of 2,063 |
| 4Loudon County, TN | 81 | 14 | 5.8 | $6.8M | +15.6% | #87 of 2,063 |
| 5Hawkins County, TN | 78 | 7 | 3.0 | $10.7M | +5.0% | #126 of 2,063 |
| 6Robertson County, TN | 78 | 17 | 6.0 | $6.4M | +9.9% | #134 of 2,063 |
| 7Jefferson County, TN | 78 | 14 | 6.4 | $5.4M | +9.3% | #142 of 2,063 |
| 8Lincoln County, TN | 72 | 10 | 6.7 | $5.1M | +4.3% | #251 of 2,063 |
| 9Hickman County, TN | 71 | 5 | 5.3 | $6.5M | +5.0% | #265 of 2,063 |
| 10Cumberland County, TN | 71 | 18 | 6.4 | $5M | +8.0% | #277 of 2,063 |
| 21Sullivan County, TN | 64 | 48 | 7.0 | $4.8M | +3.5% | #464 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Sullivan County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants53
- Fast food and sandwich shops28
- Pizza39
- Coffee shops and cafes64
- Bakeries and dessert shops62
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 coffee shops and cafes are in Sullivan County, TN?
There are 48 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Sullivan County as of September 2026. 27 of them (56%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Sullivan County, TN spend on food away from home?
About $232.3M a year, or $3,371 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 48 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $4.8M per cafe. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes. It is estimated from the incomes of the 68,907 households in Sullivan County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Sullivan County, TN compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Sullivan County has 7.0 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $4.8M, 31% above the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Sullivan County would have about 63, against 48 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,871 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Sullivan County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Sullivan County at 163,759 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 68,907 households. The median household income in Sullivan County is $58,807 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.0% 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. Sullivan County scores 64 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #464 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sullivan County. It maps the coffee shops and cafes 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 coffee shops and cafes · All 56 business types in Sullivan County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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.