Food and drink · County · Tennessee
Restaurants and cafes in Cocke County, TN
How Cocke County, TN compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,251 of 2,405 scored counties
#63 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 134
- 44 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 39
- −11.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $45.1M
- On food away from home · $2,905 a household
- Spending per listing
- $336K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 86.4
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 37,889
- +5.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Cocke 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 Cocke 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
Households in Cocke County spend about $45.1M a year on food away from home, or $2,905 per household, 29% below the U.S. average. That works out to $336K per restaurant, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 134 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Cocke County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 33% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 86.4 for every 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cocke County was 39 in 2023, down 11.4% from 2019. That is one for every 398 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 22 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $860K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cocke County.
Population estimates show Cocke County grew 5.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Cocke County has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #1,251 of 2,405 scored counties and #63 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee.
How Cocke 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 | Cocke County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 86.4 | 102.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $336K | $357K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 398 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −11.4% | +9.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.1% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,905 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $48,016 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 44 → 39−11.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 869
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $16.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 22Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13444 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 122The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $860K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cocke 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 Cocke County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 37,889+5.1% since 2020
- Households
- 15,509
- Median age
- 44.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 436 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 84
- Median household income
- $48,016+30.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $65,218
- Median home value
- $158,100
- Jobs located here
- 7,244
- Daytime population
- 28,851Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cocke 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 Cocke 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 Cocke 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 |
| 63Cocke County, TN | 49 | 134 | 86.4 | $336K | +5.1% | #1,251 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Cocke County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes49
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza51
- Coffee shops and cafes52
- Bakeries and dessert shops62
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 Cocke County, TN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 134 restaurants and cafes in Cocke County. 44 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 11.4% from 2019. Official counts list 22 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cocke County, TN spend on food away from home?
About $45.1M a year, or $2,905 per household. That is 29% below the U.S. average (an index of 71, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 134 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $336K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,509 households in Cocke County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cocke County, TN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Cocke County has 86.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $336K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Cocke County would have about 122, against 134 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 398 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Cocke County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Cocke County at 37,889 people in 2025, up 5.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,509 households. Median household income in Cocke County is $48,016, 41% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.8%, 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. Cocke County scores 49 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,251 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cocke 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 Cocke County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cocke 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 Cocke 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.