Food and drink · County · Tennessee
Restaurants and cafes in Grainger County, TN
The restaurants and cafes in Grainger County, TN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 77 out of 100: High
Ranked #187 of 2,405 scored counties
#8 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 46
- 14 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $29.7M
- On food away from home · $3,071 a household
- Spending per listing
- $645K
- 74% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 47.6
- 57% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,739
- +9.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Grainger 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 Grainger 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
For restaurants and cafes, Grainger County has a Groundwork market score of 77 (high): #187 of 2,405 scored counties and #8 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.
As of September 2026, map listings count 46 restaurants and cafes in Grainger County. 14 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 47.6 for every 10,000 households, 57% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Grainger County comes to about $29.7M a year: $3,071 per household, 25% below the U.S. average. That works out to $645K per restaurant, 74% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 20 businesses with payroll in Grainger County classed as restaurants and other eating places. That is one for every 483 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Grainger County grew 9.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Grainger 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 | Grainger County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 47.6 | 102.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $645K | $357K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 483 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +9.2% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,071 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $50,538 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 77 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 20
- Employees, 2023
- 184
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4614 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 80The 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 Grainger 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 Grainger County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 25,739+9.2% since 2020
- Households
- 9,660
- Median age
- 46.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 281 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 86
- Median household income
- $50,538+14.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $70,414
- Median home value
- $189,200
- Jobs located here
- 4,105
- Daytime population
- 19,042Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Grainger 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 Grainger 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 Grainger 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 |
Other business types in Grainger County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes77
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops78
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops66
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 Grainger County, TN?
Grainger County has 46 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 14 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Grainger County, TN spend on food away from home?
About $29.7M a year, or $3,071 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 46 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $645K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 9,660 households in Grainger County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Grainger County, TN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Grainger County has 47.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 57% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $645K, 74% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Grainger County would have about 80, against 46 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 483 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Grainger County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Grainger County at 25,739 people in 2025, up 9.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 9,660 households. The median household income in Grainger County is $50,538 a year, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 14.7% 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. Grainger County scores 77 for restaurants and cafes (high), #187 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Grainger 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 Grainger County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Grainger 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 Grainger 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.