Food and drink · County · Tennessee
Restaurants and cafes in McMinn County, TN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in McMinn County, TN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #563 of 2,405 scored counties
#33 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 154
- 71 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 79
- +4.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $71.3M
- On food away from home · $3,362 a household
- Spending per listing
- $463K
- 25% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 72.6
- 34% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 57,404
- +7.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in McMinn 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 McMinn 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 154 restaurants and cafes in McMinn County. Chain locations make up 46% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 72.6 per 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,362 per household (17% below the U.S. average), households in McMinn County spend about $71.3M a year on food away from home. That works out to $463K per restaurant, 25% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 79 businesses with payroll in McMinn County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 4.0% from 2019. That is one for every 269 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 14 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of McMinn County grew 7.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). McMinn County scores 65 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #563 of 2,405 scored counties and #33 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How McMinn 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 | McMinn County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 72.6 | 102.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $463K | $357K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 269 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.0% | +9.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.6% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,362 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,470 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 76 → 79+4.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,700
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $29.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15471 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 192The 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 McMinn 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 McMinn County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 57,404+7.6% since 2020
- Households
- 21,218
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 430 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 128
- Median household income
- $61,470+42.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,692
- Median home value
- $211,800
- Jobs located here
- 17,828
- Daytime population
- 50,660Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McMinn 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 McMinn 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 McMinn 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 |
| 33McMinn County, TN | 65 | 154 | 72.6 | $463K | +7.6% | #563 of 2,405 |
Other business types in McMinn County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes65
- Sit-down restaurants70
- Fast food and sandwich shops46
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes54
- 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 McMinn County, TN?
There are 154 restaurants and cafes on map listings in McMinn County as of September 2026. 71 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 79 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.0% from 2019. Official counts list 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in McMinn County, TN spend on food away from home?
About $71.3M a year, or $3,362 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 154 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $463K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 21,218 households in McMinn County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McMinn County, TN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
McMinn County has 72.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $463K, 25% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, McMinn County would have about 192, against 154 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 269 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is McMinn County, TN growing?
Population estimates put McMinn County at 57,404 people in 2025, up 7.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,218 households. The median household income in McMinn County is $61,470 a year, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 42.0% 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. McMinn County scores 65 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #563 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McMinn 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 McMinn County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McMinn 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 McMinn 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.