Groceries and convenience · County · Tennessee
Grocery and convenience stores in Rhea County, TN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Rhea County, TN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,048 of 2,402 scored counties
#37 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 32
- 12 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $73.6M
- On groceries · $5,459 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.3M
- 32% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 23.7
- 27% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 34,844
- +4.6% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Rhea 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 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
Households in Rhea County spend about $73.6M a year on groceries, or $5,459 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.3M per store, 32% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 32 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Rhea County as of September 2026. Of those, 12 are chain locations, or 38%, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 23.7 for every 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Rhea County in 2023. That is one for every 2,695 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
Population estimates show Rhea County grew 4.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery and convenience stores, Rhea County has a Groundwork market score of 54 (upper middle): #1,048 of 2,402 scored counties and #37 of 87 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 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 | Rhea County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 23.7 | 19.6 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $2.3M | $3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,695 | 1,612 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +23.6% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,459 | $5,923 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $55,033 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 5
- Employees, 2023
- 201
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3212 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 22The 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 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.
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 grocery and convenience stores 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 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 Rhea 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 |
| 37Rhea County, TN | 54 | 32 | 23.7 | $2.3M | +4.6% | #1,048 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Rhea County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores54
- Grocery stores57
- Convenience stores38
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 Rhea County, TN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 32 grocery and convenience stores in Rhea County. 12 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023.
How much do households in Rhea County, TN spend on groceries?
About $73.6M a year, or $5,459 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 32 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.3M per store. 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 grocery and convenience stores?
Rhea County has 23.7 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.3M, 32% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Rhea County would have about 22, against 32 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,695 households, against one for every 1,293 across 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 54 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #1,048 of 2,402 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 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 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.