Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Tennessee

Restaurants and cafes in Anderson County, TN

The restaurants and cafes in Anderson County, TN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #806 of 2,405 scored counties
#43 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee

Listings
291
144 chain locations (49%)
Official establishments
130
+9.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$117.3M
On food away from home · $3,581 a household
Spending per listing
$403K
9% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
88.8
19% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
82,066
+6.1% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Anderson County

The site report maps the restaurants and cafes 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 Anderson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 food away from home in Anderson County comes to about $117.3M a year: $3,581 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 291 restaurants and cafes, that is $403K per restaurant, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Anderson County has 291 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 144 are chain locations, or 49%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 88.8 per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 130 businesses with payroll in Anderson County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 9.2% from 2019. That is one for every 252 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 14 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Anderson County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Anderson County grew 6.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Anderson County scores 59 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #806 of 2,405 scored counties and #43 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee.

How Anderson County compares

The same measures for Tennessee and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the restaurants and cafes counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Restaurants and cafes in Anderson County, TN compared with Tennessee and the U.S.
MeasureAnderson CountyTennesseeU.S.
Listings per 10k households88.8102.9109.8
Spending per listing$403K$357K$371K
Households per official establishment252229209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+9.2%+9.9%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+6.1%+5.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,581$3,670$4,070
Median household income$66,183$69,595$80,734
Groundwork market score5949

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
119 → 130+9.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,752
Annual payroll, 2023
$56M
One-person businesses, 2023
14Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
291144 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
316The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$2M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Anderson 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 Anderson County

Population, 2025 estimate
82,066+6.1% since 2020
Households
32,755
Median age
42.4
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
337 sq. mi.
People per square mile
235
Median household income
$66,183+31.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$88,830
Median home value
$239,400
Jobs located here
56,272
Daytime population
100,088Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Anderson 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 restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Anderson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants and cafes across Tennessee

Every Tennessee market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Anderson County marked.

Top counties in Tennessee

Counties in Tennessee ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Fayette County, TN919655.8$719K+7.7%#19 of 2,405
2Roane County, TN8413358.4$623K+7.0%#69 of 2,405
3Loudon County, TN8417773.6$540K+15.6%#77 of 2,405
4Meigs County, TN812547.8$694K+10.8%#115 of 2,405
5Hickman County, TN814749.8$687K+5.0%#116 of 2,405
6Union County, TN803847.9$689K+8.1%#130 of 2,405
7Cheatham County, TN8011470.0$567K+4.1%#138 of 2,405
8Grainger County, TN774647.6$645K+9.2%#187 of 2,405
9Macon County, TN774851.0$635K+9.5%#188 of 2,405
10Smith County, TN775265.6$539K+5.1%#201 of 2,405
43Anderson County, TN5929188.8$403K+6.1%#806 of 2,405

Other business types in Anderson County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Anderson County, TN?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 291 restaurants and cafes in Anderson County. 144 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 130 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 9.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 14 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Anderson County, TN spend on food away from home?

About $117.3M a year, or $3,581 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 291 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $403K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 32,755 households in Anderson County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Anderson County, TN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Anderson County has 88.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $403K, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Anderson County would have about 316, against 291 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 252 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Anderson County, TN growing?

Population estimates put Anderson County at 82,066 people in 2025, up 6.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 32,755 households. Median household income in Anderson County is $66,183, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.3%, 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. Anderson County scores 59 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #806 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Anderson County. It maps the restaurants and cafes 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 restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in Anderson County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Anderson 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 Anderson 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.