Health care · County · Tennessee
Dentists and orthodontists in Shelby County, TN
How Shelby County, TN compares with other counties and the U.S. for dentists and orthodontists: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 23 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,789 of 1,886 scored counties
#61 of 61 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 465
- 68 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 309
- −6.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $389.1M
- On medical and dental services · $1,073 a household
- Spending per listing
- $837K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.8
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 910,226
- −2.1% since 2020
See the dentists and orthodontists around any address in Shelby County
The site report maps the dentists and orthodontists 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 Shelby 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
For dentists and orthodontists, Shelby County has a Groundwork market score of 23 (low): #1,789 of 1,886 scored counties and #61 of 61 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on medical and dental services in Shelby County comes to about $389.1M a year: $1,073 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That works out to $837K per practice, 15% below the U.S. figure of $984K. The spending figure covers all medical and dental services, not only dentists and orthodontists.
There are 465 dentists and orthodontists on map listings in Shelby County as of September 2026. Of those, 68 are chain locations, or 15%, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.8, 2% below the U.S. rate of 13.1.
Official counts show 309 businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in Shelby County in 2023, down 6.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,174 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $5.4M have gone to businesses classed as offices of dentists in Shelby County. Population estimates put the population change in Shelby County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Shelby County compares
The same measures for Tennessee and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all medical and dental services by the dentists and orthodontists 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 | Shelby County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.8 | 11.1 | 13.1 |
| Spending per listing | $837K | $978K | $984K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,174 | 1,269 | 952 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.1% | −0.1% | −0.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.1% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,073 | $1,088 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $63,767 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 23 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 329 → 309−6.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,288
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $124M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 46568 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 396The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $5.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of dentists in Shelby 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 Shelby County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 910,226−2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 362,741
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 753 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,221
- Median household income
- $63,767+23.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,646
- Median home value
- $249,100
- Jobs located here
- 497,377
- Daytime population
- 1,001,197Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Shelby 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 dentists and orthodontists on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Shelby County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardDentists and orthodontists across Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for dentists and orthodontists, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Shelby County marked.
Top counties in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fayette County, TN | 86 | 6 | 3.5 | $3.4M | +7.7% | #15 of 1,886 |
| 2Lincoln County, TN | 78 | 5 | 3.4 | $3.1M | +4.3% | #89 of 1,886 |
| 3Hawkins County, TN | 77 | 8 | 3.4 | $2.8M | +5.0% | #109 of 1,886 |
| 4Bedford County, TN | 77 | 11 | 5.6 | $1.9M | +9.7% | #115 of 1,886 |
| 5Roane County, TN | 74 | 15 | 6.6 | $1.6M | +7.0% | #182 of 1,886 |
| 6Marion County, TN | 72 | 6 | 5.1 | $2M | +3.2% | #212 of 1,886 |
| 7Claiborne County, TN | 69 | 7 | 5.1 | $1.8M | +3.6% | #289 of 1,886 |
| 8Cocke County, TN | 69 | 8 | 5.2 | $1.7M | +5.1% | #291 of 1,886 |
| 9Greene County, TN | 69 | 16 | 5.6 | $1.7M | +5.0% | #292 of 1,886 |
| 10Carroll County, TN | 68 | 5 | 4.3 | $2.2M | +2.7% | #300 of 1,886 |
| 61Shelby County, TN | 23 | 465 | 12.8 | $837K | −2.1% | #1,789 of 1,886 |
Other business types in Shelby County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
- Doctors, dentists and clinics24
- Dentists and orthodontists23
- Primary care and pediatrics28
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics36
- Chiropractors61
- Physical therapy49
- Optometrists and eye care40
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dentists and orthodontists are in Shelby County, TN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 465 dentists and orthodontists in Shelby County. 68 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count dental practices, orthodontists included. Official counts show 309 businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in 2023, down 6.1% from 2019.
How much do households in Shelby County, TN spend on medical and dental services?
About $389.1M a year, or $1,073 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 465 dentists and orthodontists on map listings, it comes to $837K per practice. That spending covers all medical and dental services, which dentists and orthodontists share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 362,741 households in Shelby County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Shelby County, TN compare with the U.S. for dentists and orthodontists?
Shelby County has 12.8 dentists and orthodontists per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 13.1. Spending per practice is $837K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $984K. At the U.S. ratio of dentists and orthodontists to household spending, Shelby County would have about 396, against 465 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,174 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −0.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Shelby County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Shelby County at 910,226 people in 2025, down 2.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 362,741 households. Median household income in Shelby County is $63,767, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.4%, 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. Shelby County scores 23 for dentists and orthodontists (low), #1,789 of 1,886 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Shelby County. It maps the dentists and orthodontists 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 dentists and orthodontists · All 56 business types in Shelby County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Shelby 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 Shelby 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.