Food and drink · County · Tennessee
Restaurants and cafes in Hardin County, TN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Hardin County, TN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,251 of 2,405 scored counties
#86 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 121
- 29 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 65
- +35.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $33.5M
- On food away from home · $3,047 a household
- Spending per listing
- $277K
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 110.0
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 27,983
- +3.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Hardin 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 Hardin 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Hardin County is 22 (low), #2,251 of 2,405 scored counties and #86 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 121 restaurants and cafes in Hardin County. Chain locations make up 24% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 110.0 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,047 per household (25% below the U.S. average), households in Hardin County spend about $33.5M a year on food away from home. That works out to $277K per restaurant, 25% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hardin County was 65 in 2023, up 35.4% from 2019. That is one for every 169 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Hardin County grew 3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Hardin 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 | Hardin County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 110.0 | 102.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $277K | $357K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 169 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +35.4% | +9.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,047 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $49,956 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 48 → 65+35.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 947
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12129 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 90The 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 Hardin 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 Hardin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 27,983+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 11,001
- Median age
- 44.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 578 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 47
- Median household income
- $49,956+22.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $69,024
- Median home value
- $160,400
- Jobs located here
- 7,748
- Daytime population
- 24,880Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hardin 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 Hardin 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 Hardin 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 |
| 86Hardin County, TN | 22 | 121 | 110.0 | $277K | +3.8% | #2,251 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Hardin County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes22
- Sit-down restaurants20
- Fast food and sandwich shops36
- Pizza40
- Coffee shops and cafes29
- Bakeries and dessert shops29
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 Hardin County, TN?
Hardin County has 121 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 29 of them (24%) 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, up 35.4% from 2019. Another 15 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Hardin County, TN spend on food away from home?
About $33.5M a year, or $3,047 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 121 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $277K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,001 households in Hardin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hardin County, TN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Hardin County has 110.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $277K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Hardin County would have about 90, against 121 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 169 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 35.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Hardin County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Hardin County at 27,983 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 11,001 households. The median household income in Hardin County is $49,956 a year, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.8% 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. Hardin County scores 22 for restaurants and cafes (low), #2,251 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hardin 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 Hardin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hardin 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 Hardin 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.