Groceries and convenience · County · Tennessee
Grocery and convenience stores in Carter County, TN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Carter County, TN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,254 of 2,402 scored counties
#51 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 50
- 18 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $129.2M
- On groceries · $5,291 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.6M
- 24% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.5
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 57,361
- +1.7% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Carter County
The site report maps the grocery and 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 Carter 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
At $5,291 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Carter County spend about $129.2M a year on groceries. Spread across 50 grocery and convenience stores, that is $2.6M per store, 24% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 50 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Carter County as of September 2026. 18 of them (36%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That is 20.5 per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in Carter County classed as grocery and convenience stores. That is one for every 2,220 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 11 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in Carter County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery and convenience stores, Carter County has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #1,254 of 2,402 scored counties and #51 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee.
How Carter 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 grocery and 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.
| Measure | Carter County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.5 | 19.6 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $2.6M | $3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,220 | 1,612 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +23.6% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,291 | $5,923 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $50,135 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 376
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5018 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 38The 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 grocery and convenience stores in Carter 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 Carter County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 57,361+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 24,425
- Median age
- 45.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 341 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 166
- Median household income
- $50,135+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $66,526
- Median home value
- $168,200
- Jobs located here
- 12,579
- Daytime population
- 45,703Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carter 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 grocery and convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Carter County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGrocery and convenience stores across Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Carter County marked.
Top counties in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Williamson County, TN | 92 | 132 | 14.3 | $5.1M | +9.0% | #33 of 2,402 |
| 2Wilson County, TN | 87 | 94 | 15.9 | $4.1M | +17.8% | #82 of 2,402 |
| 3Fayette County, TN | 86 | 26 | 15.1 | $4.1M | +7.7% | #94 of 2,402 |
| 4Jefferson County, TN | 84 | 27 | 12.4 | $4.7M | +9.3% | #113 of 2,402 |
| 5Blount County, TN | 80 | 80 | 14.4 | $4.2M | +6.0% | #180 of 2,402 |
| 6Sumner County, TN | 80 | 142 | 18.1 | $3.5M | +9.2% | #190 of 2,402 |
| 7Roane County, TN | 79 | 35 | 15.4 | $3.8M | +7.0% | #207 of 2,402 |
| 8Sullivan County, TN | 78 | 83 | 12.0 | $4.7M | +3.5% | #218 of 2,402 |
| 9Rutherford County, TN | 78 | 222 | 17.2 | $3.7M | +12.6% | #229 of 2,402 |
| 10Loudon County, TN | 76 | 39 | 16.2 | $3.8M | +15.6% | #270 of 2,402 |
| 51Carter County, TN | 49 | 50 | 20.5 | $2.6M | +1.7% | #1,254 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Carter County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores49
- Grocery stores49
- Convenience stores50
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many grocery and convenience stores are in Carter County, TN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 50 grocery and convenience stores in Carter County. 18 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Official counts list 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Carter County, TN spend on groceries?
About $129.2M a year, or $5,291 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 50 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.6M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,425 households in Carter County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carter County, TN compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Carter County has 20.5 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.6M, 24% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Carter County would have about 38, against 50 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,220 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is Carter County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Carter County at 57,361 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,425 households. The median household income in Carter County is $50,135 a year, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. Carter County scores 49 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #1,254 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carter County. 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.
How the score works · Top markets for grocery and convenience stores · All 56 business types in Carter County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carter 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 Carter 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.