Grocery stores in Tennessee

Tennessee has 1,997 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 40% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 7.1 for every 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.

Household spending on groceries in Tennessee comes to about $16.7B a year: $5,923 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That works out to $8.4M per store, 10% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.

Official counts show 1,077 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Tennessee in 2023, up 11.3% from 2019. That is one for every 2,622 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count held level over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $13.5M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Tennessee.

Among the 50 states and DC, Tennessee ranks #26 for grocery stores, with a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle). Of the 10 scored metro areas in or partly in Tennessee, the Knoxville metro area scores highest (68). Of the 17 scored small-town markets in or partly in Tennessee, the Crossville area scores highest (78).