Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Tennessee

Restaurants and cafes in Dickson County, TN

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,100 of 2,405 scored counties
#57 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee

Listings
208
79 chain locations (38%)
Official establishments
120
+20.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$81.6M
On food away from home · $3,749 a household
Spending per listing
$392K
6% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
95.6
13% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
58,662
+7.7% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Dickson 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 Dickson 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

Households in Dickson County spend about $81.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,749 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. Spread across 208 restaurants and cafes, that is $392K per restaurant, 6% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 208 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Dickson County as of September 2026. Of those, 79 are chain locations, or 38%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 95.6, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 120 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dickson County in 2023, up 20.0% from 2019. That is one for every 181 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 22 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $597K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dickson County.

Population estimates put the population change in Dickson County from 2020 to 2025 at +7.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Dickson County is 52 (upper middle), #1,100 of 2,405 scored counties and #57 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee.

How Dickson 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 Dickson County, TN compared with Tennessee and the U.S.
MeasureDickson CountyTennesseeU.S.
Listings per 10k households95.6102.9109.8
Spending per listing$392K$357K$371K
Households per official establishment181229209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+20.0%+9.9%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+7.7%+5.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,749$3,670$4,070
Median household income$75,003$69,595$80,734
Groundwork market score5249

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
100 → 120+20.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,114
Annual payroll, 2023
$41.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
22Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
20879 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
220The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$597K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
58,662+7.7% since 2020
Households
21,757
Median age
40.6
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
2.3
Land area
490 sq. mi.
People per square mile
114
Median household income
$75,003+41.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$97,770
Median home value
$306,400
Jobs located here
18,582
Daytime population
47,503Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Dickson 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 Dickson 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 Dickson 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
57Dickson County, TN5220895.6$392K+7.7%#1,100 of 2,405

Other business types in Dickson County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 208 restaurants and cafes in Dickson County. 79 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 120 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 20.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 22 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $81.6M a year, or $3,749 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 208 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $392K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 21,757 households in Dickson County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Dickson County has 95.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $392K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Dickson County would have about 220, against 208 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 181 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Dickson County, TN growing?

Population estimates put Dickson County at 58,662 people in 2025, up 7.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,757 households. Median household income in Dickson County is $75,003, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 41.3%, 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. Dickson County scores 52 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,100 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Dickson 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 Dickson 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.