Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Tennessee

Grocery and convenience stores in Unicoi County, TN

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Unicoi County, TN, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #578 of 2,402 scored counties
#23 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee

Listings
9
3 chain locations (33%)
Official establishments
3
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$42.4M
On groceries · $5,442 a household
Spending per listing
$4.7M
39% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.5
39% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
17,856
−0.1% since 2020

See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Unicoi 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 Unicoi County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 9 grocery and convenience stores in Unicoi County. 3 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 11.5 for every 10,000 households, 39% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.

Households in Unicoi County spend about $42.4M a year on groceries, or $5,442 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That works out to $4.7M per store, 39% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Unicoi County in 2023. That is one for every 2,598 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.

Population estimates put the population change in Unicoi County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Unicoi County scores 65 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #578 of 2,402 scored counties and #23 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Unicoi 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.

Grocery and convenience stores in Unicoi County, TN compared with Tennessee and the U.S.
MeasureUnicoi CountyTennesseeU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.519.618.7
Spending per listing$4.7M$3M$3.4M
Households per official establishment2,5981,6121,293
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+23.6%+7.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.1%+5.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,442$5,923$6,319
Median household income$52,218$69,595$80,734
Groundwork market score6547

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3 → 3
Employees, 2023
173
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
0Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
93 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
13The 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 Unicoi 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 Unicoi County

Population, 2025 estimate
17,856−0.1% since 2020
Households
7,795
Median age
47.1
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
186 sq. mi.
People per square mile
95
Median household income
$52,218+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$70,417
Median home value
$189,600
Jobs located here
4,627
Daytime population
15,424Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Unicoi 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 Unicoi County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Grocery 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 Unicoi County marked.

Top counties in Tennessee

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
23Unicoi County, TN65911.5$4.7M−0.1%#578 of 2,402

Other business types in Unicoi County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many grocery and convenience stores are in Unicoi County, TN?

Unicoi County has 9 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023.

How much do households in Unicoi County, TN spend on groceries?

About $42.4M a year, or $5,442 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.7M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,795 households in Unicoi County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Unicoi County, TN compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?

Unicoi County has 11.5 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 39% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4.7M, 39% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Unicoi County would have about 13, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,598 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.

How fast is Unicoi County, TN growing?

Population estimates put Unicoi County at 17,856 people in 2025, down 0.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,795 households. Median household income in Unicoi County is $52,218, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.7%, 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. Unicoi County scores 65 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #578 of 2,402 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Unicoi 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 Unicoi County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Unicoi 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 Unicoi 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.