Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Tennessee

Convenience stores in Rhea County, TN

The convenience stores in Rhea County, TN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,560 of 2,261 scored counties
#62 of 80 scored counties in Tennessee

Listings
18
7 chain locations (39%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$73.6M
On groceries · $5,459 a household
Spending per listing
$4.1M
48% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.4
68% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
34,844
+4.6% since 2020

See the convenience stores around any address in Rhea County

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 Rhea County. 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

Household spending on groceries in Rhea County comes to about $73.6M a year: $5,459 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That is about $4.1M of household spending for each store on map listings, 48% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores.

There are 18 convenience stores on map listings in Rhea County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 39% of them, against 60% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.4, 68% above the U.S. rate of 8.0.

Official counts don’t publish a figure for convenience stores in Rhea County, since they leave out counts under 3.

Population estimates show Rhea County grew 4.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Rhea County scores 38 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for convenience stores, ranking #1,560 of 2,261 scored counties and #62 of 80 scored counties in Tennessee.

How Rhea County 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 Rhea County, TN compared with Tennessee and the U.S.
MeasureRhea CountyTennesseeU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.49.48.0
Spending per listing$4.1M$6.3M$7.9M
Households per official establishmentn/a4,1843,493
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+50.0%+22.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.6%+5.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,459$5,923$6,319
Median household income$55,033$69,595$80,734
Groundwork market score3842

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
n/a
Employees, 2023
n/a
Annual payroll, 2023
n/a
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
187 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
9The 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 convenience stores in Rhea 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 Rhea County

Population, 2025 estimate
34,844+4.6% since 2020
Households
13,475
Median age
41.7
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
316 sq. mi.
People per square mile
108
Median household income
$55,033+30.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$75,267
Median home value
$206,000
Jobs located here
10,252
Daytime population
31,260Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Rhea 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 convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Rhea County. 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 counties in Tennessee for convenience stores, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Rhea County marked.

Top counties in Tennessee

Counties in Tennessee ranked for convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Williamson County, TN96515.5$13.3M+9.0%#5 of 2,261
2Fayette County, TN8484.6$13.4M+7.7%#96 of 2,261
3Washington County, TN81315.5$10.5M+6.0%#144 of 2,261
4Roane County, TN81135.7$10.3M+7.0%#145 of 2,261
5Wilson County, TN79488.1$8M+17.8%#199 of 2,261
6Montgomery County, TN77708.0$7.5M+13.0%#262 of 2,261
7Jefferson County, TN76146.4$9M+9.3%#277 of 2,261
8Sullivan County, TN75416.0$9.5M+3.5%#295 of 2,261
9Rutherford County, TN751189.1$6.9M+12.6%#308 of 2,261
10Sumner County, TN75789.9$6.4M+9.2%#309 of 2,261
62Rhea County, TN381813.4$4.1M+4.6%#1,560 of 2,261

Other business types in Rhea County

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

Questions

How many convenience stores are in Rhea County, TN?

As of September 2026, map listings count 18 convenience stores in Rhea County. 7 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. No official count is published for convenience stores in Rhea County: counts under 3 are left out.

How much do households in Rhea County, TN spend on groceries?

About $73.6M a year, or $5,459 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.1M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,475 households in Rhea County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Rhea County, TN compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?

Rhea County has 13.4 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 68% above the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $4.1M, 48% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the U.S. ratio of convenience stores to household spending, Rhea County would have about 9, against 18 on map listings.

How fast is Rhea County, TN growing?

Population estimates put Rhea County at 34,844 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,475 households. The median household income in Rhea County is $55,033 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.4% 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. Rhea County scores 38 for convenience stores (lower middle), #1,560 of 2,261 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rhea County. 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 Rhea County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Rhea 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 Rhea 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.