Groceries and convenience · County · Tennessee
Grocery stores in Knox County, TN
How Knox County, TN compares with other counties and the U.S. for grocery stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #354 of 2,070 scored counties
#13 of 75 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 105
- 61 chain locations (58%)
- Official establishments
- 78
- +21.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.2B
- On groceries · $6,061 a household
- Spending per listing
- $11.6M
- 25% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.2
- 24% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 511,453
- +6.5% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Knox 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 Knox 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
At $6,061 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in Knox County spend about $1.2B a year on groceries. That works out to $11.6M per store, 25% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
Knox County has 105 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 61 are chain locations, or 58%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.2, 24% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Knox County was 78 in 2023, up 21.9% from 2019. That is one for every 2,579 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Population estimates show Knox County grew 6.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Knox County scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #354 of 2,070 scored counties and #13 of 75 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Knox 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 | Knox County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.2 | 7.1 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $11.6M | $8.4M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,579 | 2,622 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +21.9% | +11.3% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.5% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,061 | $5,923 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $74,222 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 64 → 78+21.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,165
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $140.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10561 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 131The 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 Knox 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 Knox County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 511,453+6.5% since 2020
- Households
- 201,146
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 508 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 972
- Median household income
- $74,222+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,460
- Median home value
- $320,900
- Jobs located here
- 270,203
- Daytime population
- 541,810Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Knox 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 Knox 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 Knox 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 |
| 13Knox County, TN | 72 | 105 | 5.2 | $11.6M | +6.5% | #354 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Knox County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores72
- Grocery stores72
- Convenience stores71
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 Knox County, TN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 105 grocery stores in Knox County. 61 of them (58%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 78 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 21.9% from 2019.
How much do households in Knox County, TN spend on groceries?
About $1.2B a year, or $6,061 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 105 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $11.6M 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 201,146 households in Knox County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Knox County, TN compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Knox County has 5.2 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $11.6M, 25% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Knox County would have about 131, against 105 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,579 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 21.9% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Knox County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Knox County at 511,453 people in 2025, up 6.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 201,146 households. The median household income in Knox County is $74,222 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.2% 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. Knox County scores 72 for grocery stores (upper middle), #354 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Knox 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 Knox County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Knox 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 Knox 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.