Food and drink · County · Tennessee
Restaurants and cafes in Hamilton County, TN
How Hamilton 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 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,512 of 2,405 scored counties
#71 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 1,908
- 781 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 783
- +0.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $599.5M
- On food away from home · $3,888 a household
- Spending per listing
- $314K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 123.8
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 390,833
- +6.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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
At $3,888 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in Hamilton County spend about $599.5M a year on food away from home. That works out to $314K per restaurant, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 1,908 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Hamilton County as of September 2026. 781 of them (41%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 123.8 per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 783 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hamilton County in 2023, up 0.1% from 2019. That is one for every 197 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 120 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 19 SBA-backed loans worth $13.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hamilton County.
Population estimates put the population change in Hamilton County from 2020 to 2025 at +6.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Hamilton County scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,512 of 2,405 scored counties and #71 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee.
How Hamilton 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 | Hamilton County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 123.8 | 102.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $314K | $357K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 197 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.1% | +9.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.2% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,888 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $76,183 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 782 → 783+0.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 18,610
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $414.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 120Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,908781 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,617The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 19
- Amount
- $13.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 390,833+6.2% since 2020
- Households
- 154,181
- Median age
- 40.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 542 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 694
- Median household income
- $76,183+38.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $108,083
- Median home value
- $312,800
- Jobs located here
- 213,237
- Daytime population
- 429,865Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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 |
| 71Hamilton County, TN | 43 | 1,908 | 123.8 | $314K | +6.2% | #1,512 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Hamilton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes43
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops44
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes55
- Bakeries and dessert shops56
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 Hamilton County, TN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,908 restaurants and cafes in Hamilton County. 781 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 783 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 0.1% from 2019. Official counts list 120 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Hamilton County, TN spend on food away from home?
About $599.5M a year, or $3,888 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,908 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $314K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 154,181 households in Hamilton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hamilton County, TN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Hamilton County has 123.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $314K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Hamilton County would have about 1,617, against 1,908 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 197 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Hamilton County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Hamilton County at 390,833 people in 2025, up 6.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 154,181 households. Median household income in Hamilton County is $76,183, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 38.3%, 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. Hamilton County scores 43 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,512 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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.