Groceries and convenience · County · Tennessee
Grocery stores in Rhea County, TN
The grocery stores in Rhea County, TN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #783 of 2,070 scored counties
#26 of 75 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 9
- 5 chain locations (56%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $73.6M
- On groceries · $5,459 a household
- Spending per listing
- $8.2M
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.7
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 34,844
- +4.6% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Rhea 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 Rhea 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 Rhea County comes to about $73.6M a year: $5,459 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That works out to $8.2M per store, 12% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 9 grocery stores on map listings in Rhea County as of September 2026. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 56%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.7, in line with the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Rhea County in 2023. That is one for every 3,369 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Population estimates show Rhea County grew 4.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Rhea County scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #783 of 2,070 scored counties and #26 of 75 scored counties in Tennessee.
How Rhea 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 | Rhea County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.7 | 7.1 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $8.2M | $8.4M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,369 | 2,622 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +11.3% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,459 | $5,923 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $55,033 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 199
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 95 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 Rhea 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 Rhea County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 34,844+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 13,475
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 316 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 108
- Median household income
- $55,033+30.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $75,267
- Median home value
- $206,000
- Jobs located here
- 10,252
- Daytime population
- 31,260Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rhea 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 Rhea 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 Rhea 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 |
| 26Rhea County, TN | 57 | 9 | 6.7 | $8.2M | +4.6% | #783 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Rhea County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores54
- Grocery stores57
- Convenience stores38
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 Rhea County, TN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 9 grocery stores in Rhea County. 5 of them (56%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Rhea County, TN spend on groceries?
About $73.6M a year, or $5,459 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 stores on map listings, it comes to $8.2M 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 13,475 households in Rhea County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rhea County, TN compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Rhea County has 6.7 grocery stores per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $8.2M, 12% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Rhea County would have about 8, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,369 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Rhea County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Rhea County at 34,844 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,475 households. The median household income in Rhea County is $55,033 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.4% 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. Rhea County scores 57 for grocery stores (upper middle), #783 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rhea 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 Rhea County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rhea 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 Rhea 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.