Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · Metro area · Tennessee

Convenience stores in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area

The convenience stores in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #297 of 387 scored metro areas
#10 of 10 scored metro areas based in Tennessee

Listings
455
198 chain locations (44%)
Official establishments
166
+40.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$3.1B
On groceries · $5,867 a household
Spending per listing
$6.7M
14% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.7
9% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
1,341,412
−0.3% since 2020

See the convenience stores around any address in the Memphis metro area

The site report maps the convenience stores 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 the Memphis metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

For convenience stores, the Memphis metro area has a Groundwork market score of 34 (lower middle): #297 of 387 scored metro areas and #10 of 10 scored metro areas based in Tennessee. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.

As of September 2026, map listings count 455 convenience stores in the Memphis metro area. Of those, 198 are chain locations, or 44%, against 60% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.7, 9% above the U.S. rate of 8.0.

Household spending on groceries in the Memphis metro area comes to about $3.1B a year: $5,867 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. Spread across 455 convenience stores, that is $6.7M per store, 14% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 166 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in the Memphis metro area in 2023, up 40.9% from 2019. That is one for every 3,150 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $570K has gone to businesses classed as convenience stores in the Memphis metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Memphis metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How the Memphis metro area compares

The same measures for Tennessee and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all groceries by the convenience stores counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Convenience stores in Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area compared with Tennessee and the U.S.
MeasureMemphis metro areaTennesseeU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.79.48.0
Spending per listing$6.7M$6.3M$7.9M
Households per official establishment3,1504,1843,493
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+40.9%+50.0%+22.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.3%+5.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,867$5,923$6,319
Median household income$66,401$69,595$80,734
Groundwork market score3442

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
166+40.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
385
Annual payroll, 2023
$10.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
455198 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
389The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$570K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as convenience stores in the Memphis metro area, 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 the Memphis metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
1,341,412−0.3% since 2020
Households
522,879
Median age
37.6
Homes lived in by their owners
61%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
4,972 sq. mi.
People per square mile
270
Median household income
$66,401
Average household income
$95,119
Median home value
$245,900
Jobs located here
640,441
Daytime population
1,368,538Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Memphis metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of the Memphis metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Convenience stores across Tennessee

Every Tennessee market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Tennessee for convenience stores, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with the Memphis metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Tennessee

Metro areas in Tennessee ranked for convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN637368.9$7.1M+8.7%#110 of 387
2Johnson City, TN62596.6$8.4M+4.3%#116 of 387
3Knoxville, TN563158.3$7.2M+6.9%#163 of 387
4Clarksville, TN-KY541088.6$6.7M+8.5%#177 of 387
5Morristown, TN47439.0$6.3M+7.9%#221 of 387
6Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA421068.1$6.9M+2.3%#249 of 387
7Cleveland, TN397915.8$3.6M+6.1%#271 of 387
8Jackson, TN35618.4$6.7M+2.2%#289 of 387
9Chattanooga, TN-GA3531213.5$4.4M+5.3%#293 of 387
10Memphis, TN-MS-AR344558.7$6.7M−0.3%#297 of 387

Other business types in the Memphis metro area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many convenience stores are in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area?

The Memphis metro area has 455 convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 198 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 166 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023, up 40.9% from 2019.

How much do households in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area spend on groceries?

About $3.1B a year, or $5,867 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 455 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $6.7M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 522,879 households in the Memphis metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?

The Memphis metro area has 8.7 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $6.7M, 14% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the national ratio of convenience stores to household spending, the Memphis metro area would have about 389, against 455 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,150 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. The official count rose 40.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +22.0% for the U.S.

How fast is the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Memphis metro area at 1,341,412 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 522,879 households. Median household income in the Memphis metro area is $66,401, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734.

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. The Memphis metro area scores 34 for convenience stores (lower middle), #297 of 387 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Memphis metro area. It maps the convenience stores 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 convenience stores · All 56 business types in the Memphis metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Memphis metro area?

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 the Memphis metro area. 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.