Groceries and convenience · County · Tennessee
Grocery stores in Carter County, TN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Carter County, TN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,048 of 2,070 scored counties
#37 of 75 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 15
- 8 chain locations (53%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $129.2M
- On groceries · $5,291 a household
- Spending per listing
- $8.6M
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.1
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 57,361
- +1.7% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Carter County
The site report maps the grocery 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 Carter 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
Household spending on groceries in Carter County comes to about $129.2M a year: $5,291 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. That is about $8.6M of household spending for each store on map listings, 7% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 15 grocery stores on map listings in Carter County as of September 2026. Of those, 8 are chain locations, or 53%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.1, 10% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 8 businesses with payroll in Carter County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores. That is one for every 3,053 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Carter County grew 1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in Carter County is 49 (lower middle), #1,048 of 2,070 scored counties and #37 of 75 scored counties in Tennessee.
How Carter 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 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 | Carter County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.1 | 7.1 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $8.6M | $8.4M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,053 | 2,622 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +11.3% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,291 | $5,923 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $50,135 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8 → 8
- Employees, 2023
- 358
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 158 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The 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 supermarkets and grocery stores in Carter 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 Carter County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 57,361+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 24,425
- Median age
- 45.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 341 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 166
- Median household income
- $50,135+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $66,526
- Median home value
- $168,200
- Jobs located here
- 12,579
- Daytime population
- 45,703Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carter 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 stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Carter County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGrocery stores across Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Carter County marked.
Top counties in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wilson County, TN | 90 | 31 | 5.2 | $12.5M | +17.8% | #56 of 2,070 |
| 2Blount County, TN | 86 | 19 | 3.4 | $17.8M | +6.0% | #92 of 2,070 |
| 3Fayette County, TN | 86 | 9 | 5.2 | $11.9M | +7.7% | #104 of 2,070 |
| 4Williamson County, TN | 83 | 53 | 5.7 | $12.8M | +9.0% | #138 of 2,070 |
| 5Jefferson County, TN | 81 | 10 | 4.6 | $12.6M | +9.3% | #171 of 2,070 |
| 6Loudon County, TN | 81 | 13 | 5.4 | $11.5M | +15.6% | #176 of 2,070 |
| 7Maury County, TN | 81 | 23 | 5.4 | $11.1M | +16.0% | #177 of 2,070 |
| 8Sumner County, TN | 77 | 52 | 6.6 | $9.6M | +9.2% | #261 of 2,070 |
| 9Rutherford County, TN | 75 | 83 | 6.4 | $9.8M | +12.6% | #305 of 2,070 |
| 10Sullivan County, TN | 74 | 31 | 4.5 | $12.5M | +3.5% | #316 of 2,070 |
| 37Carter County, TN | 49 | 15 | 6.1 | $8.6M | +1.7% | #1,048 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Carter County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores49
- Grocery stores49
- Convenience stores50
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 stores are in Carter County, TN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 15 grocery stores in Carter County. 8 of them (53%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Carter County, TN spend on groceries?
About $129.2M a year, or $5,291 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $8.6M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,425 households in Carter County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carter County, TN compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Carter County has 6.1 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $8.6M, 7% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Carter County would have about 14, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,053 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Carter County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Carter County at 57,361 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,425 households. The median household income in Carter County is $50,135 a year, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. Carter County scores 49 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,048 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carter County. It maps the grocery 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 stores · All 56 business types in Carter County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carter 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 Carter 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.