Groundwork

Market rankings · Tennessee

Grocery and convenience stores in Tennessee

Every metro area, small-town market and county in Tennessee, ranked by the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
5,533
2,298 chain locations (42%)
Official establishments
1,752
+23.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$16.7B
On groceries
Listings per 10k households
19.6
5% above the U.S.
Spending per listing
$3M
11% below the U.S.
Rank among states
#32 of 51
Market score 47 · Lower middle

A site report maps the grocery and convenience stores on map listings around any address in Tennessee by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

Tennessee has 5,533 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 42% of them, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 19.6 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.

Household spending on groceries in Tennessee comes to about $16.7B a year: $5,923 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. Spread across 5,533 grocery and convenience stores, that is $3M per store, 11% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

In 2023, official counts showed 1,752 businesses with payroll in Tennessee classed as grocery and convenience stores, up 23.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,612 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 7.2% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 37 SBA-backed loans worth $16.9M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Tennessee.

Among the 50 states and DC, Tennessee ranks #32 for grocery and convenience stores, with a Groundwork market score of 47 (lower middle). Of the 10 scored metro areas in or partly in Tennessee, the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area scores highest (66). Of the 17 scored small-town markets in or partly in Tennessee, the Crossville area scores highest (75).

Every market in Tennessee for grocery and convenience stores

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Tennessee, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Tennessee, ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN661,51518.3$3.5M+8.7%#89 of 387
2Knoxville, TN6560416.0$3.7M+6.9%#94 of 387
3Clarksville, TN-KY5523118.5$3.1M+8.5%#171 of 387
4Morristown, TN528617.9$3.1M+7.9%#188 of 387
5Johnson City, TN5115917.9$3.1M+4.3%#195 of 387
6Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA4821216.2$3.4M+2.3%#210 of 387
7Cleveland, TN4312124.2$2.4M+6.1%#247 of 387
8Chattanooga, TN-GA3759025.5$2.3M+5.3%#291 of 387
9Memphis, TN-MS-AR3697518.6$3.1M−0.3%#292 of 387
10Jackson, TN2914419.9$2.8M+2.2%#326 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Tennessee, ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Crossville, TN754716.7$3.3M+8.0%#39 of 538
2Lewisburg, TN692820.6$2.9M+10.5%#90 of 538
3Athens, TN635721.5$2.6M+8.2%#152 of 538
4Shelbyville, TN614422.6$2.6M+9.7%#172 of 538
5McMinnville, TN613622.2$2.5M+6.5%#174 of 538
6Winchester, TN603419.5$2.9M+6.4%#178 of 538
7Fayetteville, TN583322.2$2.6M+4.3%#201 of 538
8Greeneville, TN526623.2$2.4M+5.0%#272 of 538
9Cookeville, TN4913523.0$2.4M+7.6%#291 of 538
10Newport, TN493421.9$2.4M+5.1%#292 of 538
11Martin, TN452921.7$2.5M+1.1%#332 of 538
12Tullahoma-Manchester, TN447328.3$2M+7.3%#347 of 538
13Paris, TN433324.5$2.2M+2.3%#356 of 538
14Union City, TN403124.7$2.2M−2.3%#380 of 538
15Dyersburg, TN343624.4$2.3M−1.1%#423 of 538
16Lawrenceburg, TN346236.5$1.5M+6.2%#428 of 538
17Sevierville, TN3312731.5$1.8M+2.5%#434 of 538

Counties

Counties in Tennessee, ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Williamson County, TN9213214.3$5.1M+9.0%#33 of 2,402
2Wilson County, TN879415.9$4.1M+17.8%#82 of 2,402
3Fayette County, TN862615.1$4.1M+7.7%#94 of 2,402
4Jefferson County, TN842712.4$4.7M+9.3%#113 of 2,402
5Blount County, TN808014.4$4.2M+6.0%#180 of 2,402
6Sumner County, TN8014218.1$3.5M+9.2%#190 of 2,402
7Roane County, TN793515.4$3.8M+7.0%#207 of 2,402
8Sullivan County, TN788312.0$4.7M+3.5%#218 of 2,402
9Rutherford County, TN7822217.2$3.7M+12.6%#229 of 2,402
10Loudon County, TN763916.2$3.8M+15.6%#270 of 2,402
11Montgomery County, TN7614616.6$3.6M+13.0%#276 of 2,402
12Union County, TN751012.6$4.4M+8.1%#289 of 2,402
13Maury County, TN757317.3$3.5M+16.0%#300 of 2,402
14Anderson County, TN735115.6$3.7M+6.1%#360 of 2,402
15Hawkins County, TN723213.6$4M+5.0%#387 of 2,402
16Knox County, TN7232015.9$3.8M+6.5%#390 of 2,402
17Tipton County, TN723816.8$3.5M+2.0%#392 of 2,402
18Cumberland County, TN694716.7$3.3M+8.0%#473 of 2,402
19Washington County, TN6910017.6$3.2M+6.0%#476 of 2,402
20Claiborne County, TN681712.4$4.3M+3.6%#491 of 2,402
21Sequatchie County, TN681016.1$3.4M+12.7%#507 of 2,402
22Davidson County, TN6661819.0$3.3M+4.2%#566 of 2,402
23Unicoi County, TN65911.5$4.7M−0.1%#578 of 2,402
24Morgan County, TN651216.7$3.4M+5.3%#595 of 2,402
25Robertson County, TN646422.7$2.7M+9.9%#647 of 2,402
Show all 95 counties
Counties in Tennessee, ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score, continued
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
26Marshall County, TN632820.6$2.9M+10.5%#682 of 2,402
27Dickson County, TN605223.9$2.5M+7.7%#816 of 2,402
28Smith County, TN591316.4$3.6M+5.1%#824 of 2,402
29McMinn County, TN584521.2$2.7M+7.6%#877 of 2,402
30Bradley County, TN5810223.9$2.4M+6.1%#883 of 2,402
31Bedford County, TN564422.6$2.6M+9.7%#952 of 2,402
32Warren County, TN563622.2$2.5M+6.5%#954 of 2,402
33Hamilton County, TN5639525.6$2.4M+6.2%#955 of 2,402
34Meigs County, TN551222.9$2.4M+10.8%#995 of 2,402
35Cheatham County, TN554326.4$2.4M+4.1%#998 of 2,402
36Putnam County, TN546519.3$2.9M+8.1%#1,026 of 2,402
37Rhea County, TN543223.7$2.3M+4.6%#1,048 of 2,402
38Franklin County, TN533419.5$2.9M+6.4%#1,070 of 2,402
39Macon County, TN531819.1$2.9M+9.5%#1,073 of 2,402
40Henderson County, TN521816.5$3.3M+2.5%#1,109 of 2,402
41Madison County, TN526917.2$3.3M+2.0%#1,110 of 2,402
42Benton County, TN521216.9$3.2M+2.1%#1,111 of 2,402
43Lincoln County, TN523322.2$2.6M+4.3%#1,131 of 2,402
44Fentress County, TN521620.4$2.5M+9.7%#1,137 of 2,402
45Hickman County, TN511920.1$2.9M+5.0%#1,163 of 2,402
46Jackson County, TN51918.8$2.8M+7.1%#1,164 of 2,402
47White County, TN503329.4$1.8M+7.9%#1,228 of 2,402
48Campbell County, TN492816.3$3.3M+2.5%#1,235 of 2,402
49DeKalb County, TN491618.5$2.9M+8.4%#1,241 of 2,402
50McNairy County, TN492020.1$2.7M+1.4%#1,250 of 2,402
51Carter County, TN495020.5$2.6M+1.7%#1,254 of 2,402
52Hamblen County, TN485922.6$2.4M+6.7%#1,295 of 2,402
53Greene County, TN486623.2$2.4M+5.0%#1,298 of 2,402
54Shelby County, TN4766018.2$3.2M−2.1%#1,310 of 2,402
55Chester County, TN471421.8$2.5M+3.5%#1,328 of 2,402
56Polk County, TN471925.6$2.2M+5.9%#1,338 of 2,402
57Cocke County, TN463421.9$2.4M+5.1%#1,365 of 2,402
58Johnson County, TN461824.7$2.2M+4.1%#1,371 of 2,402
59Hardin County, TN453229.1$1.8M+3.8%#1,418 of 2,402
60Cannon County, TN441424.2$2.3M+5.0%#1,443 of 2,402
61Grainger County, TN442930.0$1.8M+9.2%#1,462 of 2,402
62Weakley County, TN412921.7$2.5M+1.1%#1,550 of 2,402
63Marion County, TN413227.0$2.1M+3.2%#1,564 of 2,402
64Giles County, TN413932.3$1.8M+3.6%#1,575 of 2,402
65Monroe County, TN404321.8$2.5M+7.2%#1,592 of 2,402
66Henry County, TN403324.5$2.2M+2.3%#1,603 of 2,402
67Gibson County, TN394823.6$2.4M+2.7%#1,635 of 2,402
68Stewart County, TN391630.1$1.9M+5.3%#1,650 of 2,402
69Obion County, TN383124.7$2.2M−2.3%#1,671 of 2,402
70Trousdale County, TN381129.7$2M+8.4%#1,683 of 2,402
71Coffee County, TN386829.4$1.9M+7.4%#1,684 of 2,402
72Humphreys County, TN382331.8$1.8M+3.4%#1,687 of 2,402
73Carroll County, TN372723.4$2.3M+2.7%#1,714 of 2,402
74Lewis County, TN371426.0$2.1M+7.0%#1,720 of 2,402
75Scott County, TN372427.4$1.9M+3.6%#1,725 of 2,402
76Crockett County, TN341323.6$2.4M+0.7%#1,812 of 2,402
77Lawrence County, TN346236.5$1.5M+6.2%#1,841 of 2,402
78Bledsoe County, TN321632.9$1.6M+6.5%#1,904 of 2,402
79Dyer County, TN313624.4$2.3M−1.1%#1,922 of 2,402
80Sevier County, TN2812731.5$1.8M+2.5%#2,016 of 2,402
81Lauderdale County, TN283335.4$1.5M−2.0%#2,028 of 2,402
82Haywood County, TN271926.5$2M−4.4%#2,040 of 2,402
83Hardeman County, TN261920.9$2.5M−0.6%#2,059 of 2,402
84Overton County, TN262830.9$1.7M+5.3%#2,083 of 2,402
85Grundy County, TN252242.6$1.2M+4.3%#2,117 of 2,402
86Wayne County, TN211830.1$1.8M+1.2%#2,201 of 2,402
87Decatur County, TN182146.0$1.1M+3.4%#2,258 of 2,402
Perry County, TNNot scored1438.8$1.4M+8.9%
Houston County, TNNot scored926.8$2.1M+2.2%
Clay County, TNNot scored1337.3$1.4M+3.1%
Hancock County, TNNot scored724.8$2M+6.7%
Moore County, TNNot scored518.3$3.2M+6.9%
Lake County, TNNot scored733.9$1.4M−10.6%
Van Buren County, TNNot scored415.6$3.5M+11.3%
Pickett County, TNNot scored836.9$1.4M+4.3%

Markets with fewer than 5 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many grocery and convenience stores are in Tennessee?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 5,533 grocery and convenience stores in Tennessee. 2,298 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 1,752 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 23.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,499 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Tennessee spend on groceries?

About $16.7B a year, or $5,923 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5,533 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,824,277 households in Tennessee and national spending patterns by income.

How does Tennessee compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?

Tennessee has 19.6 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3M, 11% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Tennessee would have about 4,938, against 5,533 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,612 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 23.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.

Which market in Tennessee has the highest market score for grocery and convenience stores?

Among 10 scored metro areas in or partly in Tennessee, the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area scores highest, at 66 (upper middle). Among 17 scored small-town markets in or partly in Tennessee, the Crossville area scores highest, at 75 (high). Among 87 scored counties in Tennessee, Williamson County scores highest, at 92 (very high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Tennessee scores 47 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #32 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Tennessee. It maps the grocery and 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.

Grocery and convenience stores in other states

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Top markets for grocery and convenience stores across the U.S. · All business types in Tennessee

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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.