Food and drink · County · Tennessee
Restaurants and cafes in Carter County, TN
The restaurants and cafes in Carter County, TN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #663 of 2,405 scored counties
#40 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 145
- 51 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 65
- −5.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $73.1M
- On food away from home · $2,992 a household
- Spending per listing
- $504K
- 36% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 59.4
- 46% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 57,361
- +1.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Carter 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 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 145 restaurants and cafes in Carter County. 51 of them (35%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 59.4, 46% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Carter County spend about $73.1M a year on food away from home, or $2,992 per household, 26% below the U.S. average. That works out to $504K per restaurant, 36% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 65 businesses with payroll in Carter County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 5.8% from 2019. That is one for every 376 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 17 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Carter County grew 1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Carter County scores 62 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #663 of 2,405 scored counties and #40 of 87 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 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.
| Measure | Carter County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 59.4 | 102.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $504K | $357K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 376 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.8% | +9.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,992 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $50,135 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 69 → 65−5.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,294
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $24.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 17Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14551 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 197The 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 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 restaurants and cafes 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 cardRestaurants 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 Carter County marked.
Top counties in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fayette County, TN | 91 | 96 | 55.8 | $719K | +7.7% | #19 of 2,405 |
| 2Roane County, TN | 84 | 133 | 58.4 | $623K | +7.0% | #69 of 2,405 |
| 3Loudon County, TN | 84 | 177 | 73.6 | $540K | +15.6% | #77 of 2,405 |
| 4Meigs County, TN | 81 | 25 | 47.8 | $694K | +10.8% | #115 of 2,405 |
| 5Hickman County, TN | 81 | 47 | 49.8 | $687K | +5.0% | #116 of 2,405 |
| 6Union County, TN | 80 | 38 | 47.9 | $689K | +8.1% | #130 of 2,405 |
| 7Cheatham County, TN | 80 | 114 | 70.0 | $567K | +4.1% | #138 of 2,405 |
| 8Grainger County, TN | 77 | 46 | 47.6 | $645K | +9.2% | #187 of 2,405 |
| 9Macon County, TN | 77 | 48 | 51.0 | $635K | +9.5% | #188 of 2,405 |
| 10Smith County, TN | 77 | 52 | 65.6 | $539K | +5.1% | #201 of 2,405 |
| 40Carter County, TN | 62 | 145 | 59.4 | $504K | +1.7% | #663 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Carter County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants56
- Fast food and sandwich shops51
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes58
- Bakeries and dessert shops59
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many restaurants and cafes are in Carter County, TN?
There are 145 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Carter County as of September 2026. 51 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 5.8% from 2019. Official counts list 17 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Carter County, TN spend on food away from home?
About $73.1M a year, or $2,992 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 145 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $504K per restaurant. 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 restaurants and cafes?
Carter County has 59.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 46% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $504K, 36% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Carter County would have about 197, against 145 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 376 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for 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 62 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #663 of 2,405 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 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 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.