Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Tennessee

Restaurants and cafes in Benton County, TN

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Benton County, TN, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,309 of 2,405 scored counties
#65 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee

Listings
55
12 chain locations (22%)
Official establishments
25
0.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$21.3M
On food away from home · $2,997 a household
Spending per listing
$388K
5% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
77.2
30% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
16,183
+2.1% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Benton 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 Benton 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

At $2,997 per household (26% below the U.S. average), households in Benton County spend about $21.3M a year on food away from home. Spread across 55 restaurants and cafes, that is $388K per restaurant, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Benton County has 55 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (22%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 77.2, 30% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 25 businesses with payroll in Benton County classed as restaurants and other eating places, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 285 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Benton County grew 2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Benton County has a Groundwork market score of 47 (lower middle): #1,309 of 2,405 scored counties and #65 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee.

How Benton 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 Benton County, TN compared with Tennessee and the U.S.
MeasureBenton CountyTennesseeU.S.
Listings per 10k households77.2102.9109.8
Spending per listing$388K$357K$371K
Households per official establishment285229209
Official establishment growth, 2019–20230.0%+9.9%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.1%+5.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$2,997$3,670$4,070
Median household income$51,746$69,595$80,734
Groundwork market score4749

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
25 → 250.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
460
Annual payroll, 2023
$6.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
4Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
5512 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
58The 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 restaurants and other eating places in Benton 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 Benton County

Population, 2025 estimate
16,183+2.1% since 2020
Households
7,121
Median age
46.8
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
394 sq. mi.
People per square mile
41
Median household income
$51,746+38.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$65,813
Median home value
$153,600
Jobs located here
4,112
Daytime population
14,048Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Benton 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 Benton 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 Benton 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
65Benton County, TN475577.2$388K+2.1%#1,309 of 2,405

Other business types in Benton County

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

Questions

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 55 restaurants and cafes in Benton County. 12 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $21.3M a year, or $2,997 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 55 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $388K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,121 households in Benton County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Benton County has 77.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $388K, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Benton County would have about 58, against 55 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 285 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Benton County, TN growing?

Population estimates put Benton County at 16,183 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,121 households. Median household income in Benton County is $51,746, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 38.0%, 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. Benton County scores 47 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,309 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Benton 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 Benton County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Benton 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 Benton 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.