Food and drink · County · Tennessee
Fast food and sandwich shops in Rhea County, TN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Rhea County, TN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,607 of 2,222 scored counties
#62 of 84 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 18
- 17 chain locations (94%)
- Official establishments
- 28
- All limited-service restaurants · +21.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $42.6M
- On food away from home · $3,158 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.4M
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.4
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 34,844
- +4.6% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Rhea County
The site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops 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.
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 18 fast food and sandwich shops in Rhea County. 17 of them (94%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 13.4 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in Rhea County spend about $42.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,158 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. Spread across 18 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.4M per shop, 23% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 28 businesses with payroll in Rhea County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 21.7% from 2019. That is one for every 481 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Rhea County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, Rhea County has a Groundwork market score of 37 (lower middle): #1,607 of 2,222 scored counties and #62 of 84 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 food away from home by the fast food and sandwich shops 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 | Rhea County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.4 | 15.1 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.4M | $2.4M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 481 | 492 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +21.7% | +6.2% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,158 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $55,033 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 23 → 28All limited-service restaurants · +21.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 517
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1817 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The 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 limited-service restaurants 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. These official figures cover all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
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 fast food and sandwich shops 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.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardFast food and sandwich shops across Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Rhea County marked.
Top counties in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fayette County, TN | 88 | 15 | 8.7 | $4.6M | +7.7% | #31 of 2,222 |
| 2Hickman County, TN | 82 | 6 | 6.4 | $5.4M | +5.0% | #92 of 2,222 |
| 3Morgan County, TN | 79 | 5 | 7.0 | $4.8M | +5.3% | #143 of 2,222 |
| 4Grainger County, TN | 78 | 6 | 6.2 | $4.9M | +9.2% | #158 of 2,222 |
| 5Franklin County, TN | 77 | 13 | 7.5 | $4.6M | +6.4% | #186 of 2,222 |
| 6Tipton County, TN | 75 | 20 | 8.8 | $4.2M | +2.0% | #226 of 2,222 |
| 7Meigs County, TN | 75 | 5 | 9.6 | $3.5M | +10.8% | #234 of 2,222 |
| 8Union County, TN | 74 | 7 | 8.8 | $3.7M | +8.1% | #256 of 2,222 |
| 9Sumner County, TN | 74 | 101 | 12.9 | $3.2M | +9.2% | #264 of 2,222 |
| 10Williamson County, TN | 71 | 123 | 13.3 | $4M | +9.0% | #329 of 2,222 |
| 62Rhea County, TN | 37 | 18 | 13.4 | $2.4M | +4.6% | #1,607 of 2,222 |
Other business types in Rhea County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes47
- Sit-down restaurants54
- Fast food and sandwich shops37
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes45
- Bakeries and dessert shops44
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 fast food and sandwich shops are in Rhea County, TN?
There are 18 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Rhea County as of September 2026. 17 of them (94%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 28 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 21.7% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Rhea County, TN spend on food away from home?
About $42.6M a year, or $3,158 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.4M per shop. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops. 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 fast food and sandwich shops?
Rhea County has 13.4 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.4M, 23% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Rhea County would have about 14, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 481 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 21.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
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 37 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #1,607 of 2,222 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 fast food and sandwich shops 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 fast food and sandwich shops · 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.