Groceries and convenience · County · Tennessee
Grocery and convenience stores in Rutherford County, TN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Rutherford County, TN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 78 out of 100: High
Ranked #229 of 2,402 scored counties
#9 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 222
- 117 chain locations (53%)
- Official establishments
- 76
- +52.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $812.9M
- On groceries · $6,280 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.7M
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.2
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 386,352
- +12.6% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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
Rutherford County scores 78 (high) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #229 of 2,402 scored counties and #9 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for grocery and convenience stores.
Household spending on groceries in Rutherford County comes to about $812.9M a year: $6,280 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 222 grocery and convenience stores, that is $3.7M per store, 8% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Rutherford County has 222 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 117 of them (53%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 17.2 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Rutherford County was 76 in 2023, up 52.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,703 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $191K have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Rutherford County. Population estimates show Rutherford County grew 12.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Rutherford 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 | Rutherford County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.2 | 19.6 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3.7M | $3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,703 | 1,612 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +52.0% | +23.6% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +12.6% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,280 | $5,923 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $85,470 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 78 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 50 → 76+52.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,675
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $78.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 102Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 222117 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 240The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $191K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 386,352+12.6% since 2020
- Households
- 129,431
- Median age
- 35.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 620 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 582
- Median household income
- $85,470+26.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,856
- Median home value
- $382,600
- Jobs located here
- 144,864
- Daytime population
- 329,273Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 |
Other business types in Rutherford County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores78
- Grocery stores75
- Convenience stores75
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 Rutherford County, TN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 222 grocery and convenience stores in Rutherford County. 117 of them (53%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 76 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 52.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 102 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Rutherford County, TN spend on groceries?
About $812.9M a year, or $6,280 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 222 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.7M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 129,431 households in Rutherford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rutherford County, TN compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Rutherford County has 17.2 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.7M, 8% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Rutherford County would have about 240, against 222 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,703 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 52.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Rutherford County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Rutherford County at 386,352 people in 2025, up 12.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 129,431 households. The median household income in Rutherford County is $85,470 a year, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.8% 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. Rutherford County scores 78 for grocery and convenience stores (high), #229 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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.