Groceries and convenience · County · Tennessee
Grocery and convenience stores in Knox County, TN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Knox County, TN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #390 of 2,402 scored counties
#16 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 320
- 174 chain locations (54%)
- Official establishments
- 127
- +27.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.2B
- On groceries · $6,061 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.8M
- 12% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.9
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 511,453
- +6.5% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Knox 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 Knox 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
Households in Knox County spend about $1.2B a year on groceries, or $6,061 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.8M of household spending for each store on map listings, 12% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Knox County has 320 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 174 of them (54%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.9, 15% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 127 businesses with payroll in Knox County classed as grocery and convenience stores, up 27.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,584 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 80 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $312K have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Knox County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Knox County grew 6.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Knox County scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #390 of 2,402 scored counties and #16 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Knox 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 | Knox County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.9 | 19.6 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3.8M | $3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,584 | 1,612 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +27.0% | +23.6% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.5% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,061 | $5,923 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $74,222 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 100 → 127+27.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,356
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $145.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 80Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 320174 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 360The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $312K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Knox 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 Knox County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 511,453+6.5% since 2020
- Households
- 201,146
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 508 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 972
- Median household income
- $74,222+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,460
- Median home value
- $320,900
- Jobs located here
- 270,203
- Daytime population
- 541,810Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Knox 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 Knox 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 Knox 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 |
| 16Knox County, TN | 72 | 320 | 15.9 | $3.8M | +6.5% | #390 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Knox County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores72
- Grocery stores72
- Convenience stores71
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 Knox County, TN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 320 grocery and convenience stores in Knox County. 174 of them (54%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 127 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 27.0% from 2019. Official counts list 80 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Knox County, TN spend on groceries?
About $1.2B a year, or $6,061 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 320 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.8M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 201,146 households in Knox County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Knox County, TN compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Knox County has 15.9 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.8M, 12% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Knox County would have about 360, against 320 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,584 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 27.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Knox County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Knox County at 511,453 people in 2025, up 6.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 201,146 households. The median household income in Knox County is $74,222 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.2% 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. Knox County scores 72 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #390 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Knox 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 Knox County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Knox 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 Knox 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.